What is a root canal treatment?
A root canal is a dental procedure intended to remove oral discomfort and restore your tooth. One of the skilled dentists at Fresh Dental Care eliminates the bacteria and any dead or dying tissue from inside your tooth if it becomes severely infected. This way, they can save your tooth and help ease your pain.
What causes the root of a tooth to become infected?
An untreated cavity or oral injury can cause infection in the tissue and roots of your teeth. The infected tissue can develop inside the pulp or root of your tooth if you neglect to go to the dentist. Ask about treatment. If you don't, the infection could spread even further and lead to other health complications.
What does an infected tooth look and feel like?
If you don't deal with an infected tooth right away, you'll be welcoming a great deal of pain in the future. The usual symptoms of an infected tooth are:
- Inflamed gums
- Tooth soreness while chewing
- Acute tooth sensitivity to cold and hot temperatures
- Unpleasant breath
- Pus coming from around the tooth
- Painful throbbing in your jaw or mouth
- Darkening color of the tooth
- A small pimple-like bump on your gum
How is a root canal performed?
One of the highly trained dentists at Fresh Dental Care can usually fix your tooth within one or two visits. You may need X-rays taken so that the full extent of the tooth damage can be evaluated before the root canal is performed.
At your appointment, one of the dentists at Fresh Dental Care uses a needle to numb the area with a local anesthetic. Every now and then, they stick a dental dam, or a little piece of rubber, on your tooth to preserve its cleanliness and protect it from bacteria during the procedure. Once your tooth is anesthetized, the dentist makes a small incision in your tooth to reach the diseased area within the root.
Then, your dentist uses small files to remove the damaged and diseased pulp and irrigates the area with water to wash away any debris. Until you return for a permanent crown, your dentist either seals the tooth or applies a temporary filling.
Call Fresh Dental Care or book a consultation online if you have any symptoms or signs of a tooth infection.
Fresh Dental is located in Houston, TX, and serves the greater Cypress, Katy, Humble, and Porter areas.
