Elk Grove Root Canal Treatments
When bacteria and microbes infect the pulp or tissue deep inside one of your teeth, it’s a painful and important indication that you need a root canal procedure. This treatment is unfortunately so infamous that people commonly call it by the name of the body part affected — the root canal. Every tooth has at least one of these tubes, carrying nerves and tissues from the base of the root to the center of the tooth. When infection or trauma causes exposure of the root canal, an endodontic (“inside the tooth”) procedure is necessary. For example, patients with broken or severely cracked teeth also need a treatment similar to a root canal. Why do we need root canal treatment?
Why You Need Root Canal Therapy
The immune system’s defenses have little penetration to the inside of our teeth, so if decay inside your tooth is severe, a root canal is often the only procedure that can save the tooth. If the tissue inside the tooth is still alive, only one visit to the dentists at Elk Grove’s Case Dental Group is necessary to resolve the problem. If the tissue is dead, the infection is removed and two visits total are required to restore your tooth and get you back to feeling your best.
What problems often lead to root canal treatment? If you experience any of the following symptoms, please visit Elk Grove’s Case Dental Group immediately, even for emergency service:
- Toothache,
- Tooth sensitivity to hot and cold,
- Swollen cheek and/or bleeding gums,
- An abscess of the gums.
It’s not a good idea to ignore these symptoms! Don’t allow fear and anxiety stop you from treating an infected tooth! A visit to the Case Dental Group is essential so that further damage to your teeth and gums are prevented. Left unchecked, a tooth abscess can lead to more serious health complications, such as infection of the jaw and significant loss of jawbone.
First, before the root canal procedure begins, you may choose whether you would like sedation therapy or a local anesthetic so that you are as comfortable as possible. With sedation dentistry, you will feel and remember little, if anything, of the entire procedure! While you lay back in the dental chair, the one of our Elk Grove dentists removes the infected tooth pulp and any remaining bacteria with specialized tools. They then clean and irrigate the root canal. This ensures that the bacteria causing the infection is completely eliminated. Sometimes, additional antibiotic medication is placed directly inside the root canal.
After the root canal cleaning is completed, we restore your tooth with dental composite material, strengthening the tooth’s root. If necessary, we then take a mold of your mouth to craft a dental restoration, usually a crown, to cover the top of your damaged tooth. Then a temporary crown or cap is placed on your tooth to protect the interior. A course of antibiotics may be prescribed to take at home. Any permanent restoration is placed later, after construction by a dental lab.
It’s true, having a root canal procedure is not the patient’s idea of fun. Having a toothache, however, is much worse! The dentists at the Case Dental Group treat your infection quickly and perform the root canal procedure as painlessly as possible. After any swelling subsides and the infected tissues surrounding your tooth heal, you’re smiling again — pain free! With a good oral hygiene routine and regular check-ups at our friendly Elk Grove dental office, you can prevent ever needing a second root canal treatment!