Does Root Canal Affect Your Dental Health?

Root canal treatment is a therapy for repairing and saving a tooth that is severely infected or decayed. The procedure is performed when the pulp housing the nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissue in the tooth becomes infected or damaged. Root canal treatments can affect your dental health by making it better rather than causing any adverse problems.

This endodontics treatment is feared by people who assume it is painful. However, many people that underwent surgery confirm that the procedure is just as painful as having a tooth filled. It is the discomfort before the process that leads people to seek dental care that is truly painful and not the procedure itself.

Dental Pulp — What Is It?

The dental pulp is the soft area in the core of the tooth containing the nerves, connective tissue, and blood vessels. The nerve of the tooth is in the root, and root canals extend from the tooth’s tip to the source in the pulp’s chamber.

The nerve of the tooth is not significantly essential to the tooth’s health and functionality after the tooth has erupted through the gums. Its function is sensory to provide the sensation of hot and cold temperatures. The functionality of the tooth will not be affected by the presence or absence of the nerve. However, after root canal treatment is performed, the tooth becomes susceptible to fractures.

Why Must the Dental Pulp Be Removed?

When damages occur to the dental pulp, it breaks down to allow bacteria to multiply within the pulp chamber. The bacteria and the remnants of the dying flesh can cause infections or an abscessed tooth. Abscesses are pus-filled pockets that form near the end of the tooth’s root. Besides an abscess and infected root canal can also cause:

• Swelling extending to other areas of the face, neck, and head.
• Bone loss near the tip of the root.
• A tear can happen on the side of the tooth with seepage into the gums or through the cheek into the skin.

What Causes Damage to the Pulp?

The tooth’s pulp can become infected, inflamed, or irritated because of deep decay, repeated dental procedures on the tooth, trauma to the face, chips or cracks in the tooth, and large fillings.

Indications That You Need Root Canal Therapy

Some signs indicating the need for root canal therapy include the following:

You may experience severe toothaches when chewing along with prolonged sensitivity to hot and cold temperatures.

Your tooth may become discolored with persistent or recurring pimples on the gums.

Swelling and tenderness may be experienced, although the symptoms can vary.

Root Canal Therapy — the Procedure

One or more visits will be necessary when having root canal therapy performed by a dentist or endodontics specialist. A dentist in Seminole, like Dr. Sausha Toghranegar, performs this treatment by taking an x-ray to view the root canals and to determine if other signs of infections in the surrounding bone also exist. Local anesthesia will be administered to numb the area near the tooth.

An access hole will be drilled into the tooth to expose the pulp, bacteria, and other debris and remove it from within. The process for the cleaning is accomplished by using dental instruments specially designed for root canals. After the tooth is thoroughly cleaned, it must be sealed. Some dentists favor waiting a week before sealing the tooth. Others may complete the sealing on the same day of the procedure. Restoration of the tooth is the final step of this treatment to protect the tooth, prevent it from breaking, and restore it to full function. Your dentist will discuss any additional dental work that may be required with you.

What Can You Expect after Root Canal Therapy?

You will find relief from the pain you were enduring before root canal therapy. You must, however, minimize chewing on the tooth until it is completely repaired. Avoiding re-contamination of the interior of the tooth and to prevent a fragile tooth from breaking is the reason why Dental Arts Seminole will recommend the precautions.

Over-the-counter pain medications can manage any discomfort you feel after the procedure, and you can return to your normal activities about 24 hours after the procedure.

As far as your dental health is concerned, you can continue brushing and flossing as you regularly did and visit your dentist for cleanings and examinations. You will display no signs of having undergone root canal therapy after the tooth is restored with a permanent filling or a dental crown.