Your teeth are designed to last a lifetime. Keeping your natural teeth is important for your best oral health. When a tooth becomes infected, the pain you experience may cause you to think it needs to be removed, but there is a better solution. Your pain can be eliminated and your tooth saved with root canal therapy. River + West Family Dentistry believes tooth removal should be a last resort.
By removing the infection from the tooth, cleaning it out thoroughly and filling it properly, your tooth may be saved. There are times when a tooth is so badly infected and damaged by decay that it must be removed; but under the right conditions, root canal therapy may be advised over extraction.
Root Canals Offer Pain Relief for Infected Teeth
There is a myth that root canal therapy is painful. The truth is the infection is painful. Root canal therapy eliminates the infection and stops the pain. This procedure removes the nerve of the tooth and leaves healthy tooth structure intact.
Root canal therapy begins with treating the infection. In severe cases, the infection needs to be brought under control with antibiotics before the actual procedure can begin. Antibiotics may be prescribed to reduce swelling and eliminate the infection.
Dental instruments designed to remove dead nerve tissue are used to clean out the canal that travels into the roots of the tooth. After the infected nerves and blood vessels are removed, the canal is cleaned out and disinfected. An inert material is then placed in the canal, and it is sealed off to prevent bacteria from entering. The remainder of the tooth structure is cleaned and filled.
Removing the nerves and blood vessels from the tooth can cause the tooth to become brittle over time, so a crown is often recommended to help stabilize and strengthen it.
An infected tooth can cause serious problems if left untreated. The pain can be debilitating and interfere with your daily activities. The infection could get into your bloodstream, causing sepsis. Do not take chances with an infected tooth. Contact Rivers + West Family Dentistry to schedule an appointment. We provide emergency dental care for those who require it.