Dentures and Dentist

Dentures and Dentist

What You Need to Know About Root Canal Treatment

Julian Andrews

Your mouth is a hostile place where bacteria can circulate and can often play havoc with your dentition. While you may exercise good oral care every day, you may still run into problems if you develop a small cavity that can allow the bacteria inside the tooth. When you eventually go to the dentist to see what is wrong, they will take a close look and determine the current health of the tooth in question. Why do they sometimes recommend a root canal in this situation?

Bacterial Infection

For teeth to perform as they should, they need to remain whole. If they're compromised in any way, bacteria can take hold within and may infect the soft pulp in the internal root canals. When this pulp becomes infected, it will also be inflamed, pressing on nearby nerves and causing that all-too-familiar pain.

What's Involved

The dentist will need to get rid of the infection to save the tooth. That will involve what is colloquially known as a "root canal," but which is effectively the treatment of the root canal area. To do this, they will need to cut into the tooth and use a variety of special files to get rid of all of the inflamed and infected pulp. They'll clean up the area before sealing it off and applying a filling material. Often, you may need an artificial crown to restore full functionality, and this may typically be fitted some days after the initial canal treatment.

Considering the Alternative

This type of therapy is very successful and can certainly save the tooth before it becomes overly infected and begins to die. It is often the favoured solution as the alternative is to remove the tooth altogether. Sometimes, this is unavoidable if the bacteria has taken hold to such a degree that the canal treatment is unlikely to save the tooth. However, you can always get an implant should the dentist have no choice but to extract it.

What to Expect

Root canal treatment can take some time, but it is typically pain-free as you will have a local anaesthetic. Your dentist will have a lot of experience here and have probably performed many root canal treatments in the past, so you can expect a first-class outcome.

Acting Quickly

As with any other dental matter, time is of the essence. If you have a cavity or are suffering from a toothache, you may need to have root canal treatment. The sooner you visit your dentist, the quicker you can get the appropriate procedure and move on.

For more information on a root canal, contact a professional near you.


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About Me
Dentures and Dentist

Hello, my name is Jack. I am now 79 years old. As you can imagine, my teeth have taken something of a battering over the years. I lost a couple of teeth in a bar fight, four more decayed and one had to be extracted when it became infected. After losing so many teeth, my dentist suggested that I have dentures fitted. I was worried about this but my dentist was really great. He helped explain the procedure and then did an excellent job. I love my new dentures and I wanted to start this blog to offer help to others.

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