Root canal therapy is a standard treatment that is painless and “saves” damaged teeth
While medical advancements have led to the invention of effective tooth replacements, there is nothing quite like your natural teeth. The dental team at White Sage Dentistry understands that your teeth mean a lot to you. That’s why we offer root canal services to save teeth that would otherwise be extracted. Root canal therapy eliminates tooth infection and restores your tooth back to health. A tooth treated with a root canal can last for many years while performing the full oral function of biting and chewing.
How to tell you need a root canal
A tooth that needs a root canal doesn’t become that way overnight. There are tell-tale symptoms that should signal you to visit a root canal dentist. These include:
- Debilitating toothache
- Prolonged tooth sensitivity when taking hot or cold foods
- A recurring pimple on the gums
- A darkened tooth
- Visible crack or fracture on the tooth
- Gum swelling
If you suspect you need a root canal, please visit a dentist as soon as practical before the infection compromises the surrounding tissues. While endodontic therapy can save an infected tooth, it can only do so if the surrounding bone is healthy.
The root canal treatment
We usually recommend a root canal after establishing your pulp chamber is infected. Unlike other body infections, antibiotics or your body’s natural immune system can’t reverse an infected tooth. Your infected tooth can only be saved by removing the infected pulp chamber. And don’t worry about removing the pulp chamber — your fully matured tooth can work just fine without it.
A root canal starts by examining your troublesome tooth with dental x-rays. After establishing your tooth can be fixed with a root canal, we numb the treatment site to minimize discomfort during treatment. Next, we drill an entry hole at the top of your tooth to access the tooth internals. Then, we remove the pulp chamber and clean your tooth thoroughly to eliminate harmful bacteria.
Your tooth is then filled with a rubber-like substance (gutta-percha) to seal out infections in the future. Finally, we restore your tooth with a dental filling, but a crown may be needed if your tooth is severely weakened.
Save your natural tooth with root canal treatment
Are you experiencing tooth pain that won’t go away? Do you have tooth sensitivity when eating cold or hot foods? You may have a tooth infection, and you had better hurry up before the infection costs you a tooth. Are you in Salem, OR, and its environs? Please dial (503) 877-1626 to schedule an appointment with White Sage Dentistry for gentle yet effective root canal treatment.
Root canal therapy is a very common procedure. It has a reputation of being undesirable and painful. But when done properly it is actually painless. Every tooth in your mouth is composed of a crown and a root. When a cavity or bacteria penetrates the tooth, the root and its nerves become irritated. As a result, the bacteria within the pulp cavity needs to be removed and cleaned in order to restore the tooth to its healthy state. Following the procedure, the tooth is fragile and consequently is restored with the natural crown for a lifetime of durability. Root canals have a success rate of 95% or greater. Most root canal are diagnosed by patients’ sensitivities to a specific tooth. Be sure to consult your dentist any symptoms or discomfort occur.
Root canal therapy is the process of cleaning an infection out of the inside of a tooth’s inner pulp and roots. Once a tooth’s pulp is infected, you will need to have the tooth removed or have root canal therapy. Root canal therapy is preferable to extraction because no restoration will work as well as your natural tooth, so we will always try to save your natural tooth whenever possible. Root canal therapy makes it possible to save an infected tooth from extraction.
You may need root canal therapy if you have an infected tooth. Common signs of an infected tooth include a toothache, sensitivity especially to temperature changes such as eating hot or cold food, a pimple or swelling on the gum, a darkened tooth, or a visibly cracked or fractured tooth. If you notice any of these signs, inform us and make an appointment as soon as possible to find the right solution.
First we will confirm that your tooth’s pulp is infected, and then we will confirm that a root canal treatment is the right solution. Before performing root canal therapy, we will provide local anesthetic to numb the area to reduce discomfort. We will then drill a hole in the tooth to reach the pulp chamber and remove the pulp and nerves and clean out the tooth to remove any bacteria. Your tooth will then be filled with gutta-percha and then covered with a filling or crown to protect the tooth from further damage.
It is a common misconception that root canal treatment is a painful procedure. For most people, the pain associated with root canal treatment is actually the pain of the infection which is actually relieved by root canal therapy. During the treatment, we provide effective local anesthetic to keep the area numb so you feel minimal discomfort during your root canal treatment.
