Root Canal – How Endodontic Therapy Eliminates and Protects Against Infection

Root canal therapy has a reputation as a scarily painful dental treatment, but that could not be further from the truth. Also known as endodontic therapy, root canal treatments are performed with local anesthetics, so the area being worked on is numb. Root canal therapy does not cause pain. Instead, it brings whatever issue that brought you to the clinic to an end alongside any pain or discomfort caused by it.

How root canal therapy protects and treats infection

A dentist might recommend endodontic therapy if a patient’s tooth has been severely damaged or their pulp chamber has been infected. The pulp chamber is the part of a tooth that houses soft tissues like its nerve and blood vessels. It is the tooth's innermost layer, and it is sealed off from the bacteria and acids in the mouth. Severe damage or decay to a tooth can end up opening this chamber, leaving the soft tissues in there vulnerable to infection. These tissues also become irritated when acids in the mouth make contact with them, leading to severe toothaches.

Failing to treat a tooth with a compromised pulp chamber leaves it vulnerable to infection. A root canal can be used to prevent a damaged tooth from becoming infected or to treat an existing infection.

The process

Getting a root canal starts with the dentist injecting the area around the tooth being treated with a local anesthetic. A dental drill is used to make a hole into the tooth; then files are used to extract the tissues in the pulp chamber. Medicine is applied to the area if the tooth has already been infected, and the tooth is sealed back up with gutta-percha.

Teeth that have been treated with a root canal are often protected with a crown to save what is left of them. The crown keeps the tooth together, protects against bite forces, and restores its appearance. In some cases, a tooth might be rebuilt with composite bonding after being restored with root canal therapy.

The benefits of performing a root canal on a tooth include:

• It is an effective way to stop a tooth infection
• It often allows the dentist to save the affected tooth
• Root canals often bring an end to the pain caused by soft tissues in the pulp chamber being irritated by acids and bacteria
• The procedure can be completed during a single visit
• It has a high success rate

Failing to have a compromised tooth restored with a root canal can end up costing you the tooth. A tooth infection can be easily treated in its early stages, but an extraction might be needed if the infection threatens to spread to other parts of the body. An extracted tooth will need to be replaced with an oral prosthetic like an implant.

A root canal can save your tooth

A root canal can save your damaged or infected tooth and bring your suffering to an end. Give us a call or visit our Chester clinic to set up an appointment with our dentist.

Request an appointment here: https://thechesterfielddentist.com or call Chesterfield Dentist at 8044120867 for an appointment in our Chester office.

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