ROOT CANALS
Inner Tooth Infections
Root canals are one of the most common dental procedures. Also known as pulpectomy, root canals are effective in treating infections in the soft inner tissue of a tooth. These infections can affect the outer areas of the tooth as well resulting in teeth discoloration. Root canal infections need to be treated so they do not damage the health of your jaw and other tissues surrounding the tooth.
About Root Canal Therapy
The thin passages that run from the soft inner tissue of your tooth (pulp) to the tip of the root of your tooth are root canals. You can develop an infection in root canals due to various reasons, most common one being untreated cavities. Root canal infections are quite painful because the canals disturb the nerve fibers present in them.
Procedures on root canals have functional as well as aesthetic benefits because they treat teeth darkened by infection. They save you from having to spend on restorative procedures for replacing a tooth lost to decay and infection.
Aren’t Root Canals Painful?
Root canals are known for being painful. However, today’s root canal procedures have advanced to become more or less painless procedures and are as easy as having a filling fixed.
Procedure
Your dentist will create an opening on your tooth’s surface after properly numbing it. The next step involved removal of any decayed tissue or bacteria using an instrument called a root canal file. This instrument helps in removing the nerve fibers and cleaning out the infected tissue from within the thin canals. The procedure is aided by the use of magnifying equipment.
Once the inside of the tooth is properly cleaned, it is supplied with an initial filling material. You are given medications to soothe the area and provide you relief.
Next, the surface of the tooth can be fixed with a filling, such as those used to fix cavities, or you may be fixed with a crown instead of a filling so your tooth can get better structural support.
Less complicated cases of root canal procedures are completed in one visit. You could be referred to a specialist for if your case is more complicated.
