You’ll need root canal therapy with teeth that become cracked, broken, inflamed, or infected. A root canal saves your tooth by removing the soft tissue at its core. The interaction between a natural tooth and the bone of your jaw helps to maintain your oral health.
The best root canal is the one you never need. While there are situations you can’t avoid that require root canal therapy, there are things you can do to reduce the risk. At Fresh Dental Care in Houston, we’re root canal specialists, but we don’t mind at all if you can prevent the need for one. We’ve compiled the list below of five ways you can prevent the need for a root canal.
Your teeth have one or more canals through their roots, filled with a pulp made up of tissue and nerves. Exposure to bacteria through tooth damage can infect the pulp, causing swelling and putting pressure on nerves. This causes pain that’s often intense in or around the affected tooth. An adult tooth, though, remains viable with the pulp tissue removed. Once cleaned and sealed, you’re ready to go, having avoided a tooth extraction.
These five tips, combined with a bit of good fortune, can help you avoid first-hand experience with the root canal process.
It’s the foundation of dental health. Brushing twice a day and flossing once a day keeps teeth, gums, and jaws in their best health. Clearing away plaque inhibits the acids that eat away at tooth enamel while minimizing your risk for gingivitis, the first rung on the gum disease ladder. Use products with added fluoride to toughen tooth enamel; and ask us for ways to enhance your home care routine.
Though home care is key to dental health, everyone fights a losing battle against plaque, which hardens into tartar and works against oral health. Those regular dental office cleanings that leave your teeth feeling so fresh are also eliminating plaque and tartar that even the best home care can’t clear away. Checkups also catch conditions that may lead to tooth damage down the road.
Sticky and hard foods, like mints and other candy, deliver more than sugar to feed the acids that etch your teeth. They can cause damage during biting. Play it safe with foods like popcorn or cherry pie. Kernels and pits may be lurking for an unexpectedly hard bite. Don’t use your teeth as tools, and chewing ice is a habit to lose. Avoiding tooth damage also means you’re avoiding root canals.
While mouth guards are a no-brainer for athletes in contact sports, they could save you some dental issues in any activity where the risk of a fall is increased. Are you an overnight tooth grinder? A mouth guard can also protect you from premature tooth wear.
You don’t want to lose the natural benefits of saliva production, since it dilutes acids and plaque in your mouth. It’s not an issue if your mouth is dry only now and then. If you have chronic dry mouth, chew sugar-free gum or use oral rinses designed to keep your mouth moist.
Learn more about your oral health by visiting the nearest of our five locations in Houston. Make an appointment online or by calling the most convenient office today. .
