There was once a time when a toothache meant automatically losing your tooth since extracting it was the only hope of getting relief. Thankfully, however, modern endodontic treatment means that there are ways to stop infection and end the pain while saving the tooth.
What Is Endodontic Treatment?
Endodontic treatment is more commonly known as root canal therapy (RCT) or endodontic therapy. It’s a dental procedure that treats the nerves inside a tooth in order to save it.
Endodontic therapy typically involves drilling into a tooth to relieve pressure from the infection raging inside. The dead or damaged nerve is then extracted and the tooth chamber is cleaned and sealed off with a special filling material. The treated tooth is often capped with a crown or filling afterwards to keep it strong.
Root canals aren’t bad for teeth. The pulp inside the tooth is only necessary during tooth development when the tooth needs a supply of nutrients from the bloodstream in order to grow. Once the tooth erupts from the gums, the nerves serve only a sensory purpose enabling your tooth to tell the difference between hot and cold temperatures. Removing the nerve renders the tooth “dead,” but it’s still functional.
Benefits of Endodontic Treatment
Root canals are highly successful procedures that ultimately result in pain-relief and the preservation of a natural tooth. Those are good things so there’s no need to fear endodontic therapy!
Do You Need Endodontic Therapy?
You just might need a root canal if you have a horrible toothache right now! It’s also possible, however, to need treatment even if you don’t notice any uncomfortable symptoms. For example, if your tooth nerve died soon after your tooth got knocked in an accident, your tooth would be dead and painless.
Alternatively, your tooth could be compromised by a deep cavity or fracture that’s too big to repair with a filling or crown. Even if the damage hasn’t reached the nerve just yet, preemptively getting a root canal could spare you a lot of pain and inflammation.
Visit a root canal dentist like Dr. Guzmán on a regular basis for dental health checkups whether or not you have a toothache. A dental exam or x-ray might the only way you realize that you have a tooth in need of endodontic treatment.
Root Canals and Endodontic Treatment in The Woodlands
Discover your one-stop-shop for all of your dental needs right here at Asiri Family Dentistry in The Woodlands, Texas. We’ve got the resources and experience you need to prevent and treat dental disease. Call our team today to plan your consultation if you’re worried that you may need a root canal.