What Is A Root Canal?

Health & Medical Blog

No one ever wants to go to the dentist and hear that they need a root canal. However, it is an absolutely necessary procedure for many people and is much more helpful than harmful. To help ease your fears, here is an overview of what a root canal is and how it can help you:

Procedure

The main purpose of a root canal is to remove the infected pulp from a tooth. If you have a cavity that is allowed to spread, then it can reach past the outer layer of enamel on your teeth and penetrate into the pulp and nerves that lie deep inside your teeth. An unfortunate yet necessary side effect of the spread of the decay is intense pain due to the sensitive nerve endings. This is your body's way of telling you that there is a very serious problem with your body.

A root canal will actually alleviate this pain, and you will only be mildly sore after the procedure. After the pulp in question has been removed, your dentist will fit you for a crown, which will be produced in a few weeks. In the meantime, they should give you a temporary crown to cover the exposed nerves. It may be a bit uncomfortable, but it is only temporary.

Benefits

The main benefit of a root canal is that it will save your tooth and your gums. If you elect to not get a root canal, then your only other real option is to get the tooth entirely removed. If you let the decay fester, it will spread further into the tooth and potentially spread to other teeth or even your gums. In such cases, you could end up losing a lot more than a single tooth.

A root canal is the only way to salvage your tooth and cut off the infection before it compromises the rest of your mouth.

Drawbacks

Of course, the procedure itself is not going to be pleasant. In most cases, anesthetic is offered to the patient in order to minimize the short term pain. For the long term, you might experience soreness, but nothing compared to the misery of infected dental pulp.

Root canals and crowns are not cheap, but they are also important if you let decay get to that stage. Therefore, it is in your best interests to monitor the health of your teeth carefully. By carefully brushing, flossing, and getting dental checkups, you can greatly reduce the chance that you will need a root canal. Contact a dentist like Van Buskirk & Krischke DDS, LLC if you have any questions.

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11 August 2015

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