There’s not much to be excited about a root canal besides relieving your toothache and solving your dental problem. Root canals are common in dental practice but are among the most dreaded dental treatments. However, in reality, root canals are most painless and take no more than an hour.
A root canal procedure involves removing the infected pulp from a decayed tooth and replacing it with dental filling. Doing so prevents reinfection and saves the tooth from falling out. Here are five signs you should see your dentist for a root canal.
Abnormal tooth sensitivity when you eat cold or hot food is a sign you may need a root canal. This sensitivity feels like a dull ache, sometimes morphing into a sharp pain. It indicates that the blood vessels and nerve endings in your tooth’s pulp might be infected. A root canal will remove the infected pulp and prevent the infection from spreading.
You can crack your tooth when you hit something hard on your tooth or when you forcefully bite into a hard object. A cracked tooth exposes the nerves and blood vessels in the pulp to mouth bacteria, putting them at risk of infection. The infection causes severe pain, inflammation, and sensitivity, warranting a root canal.
Too much plaque and tartar on your teeth irritate the part of the gum surrounding your teeth. This causes swelling and tenderness and sometimes leads to bleeding. Sometimes, the swelling is accompanied by an abscess, a pus sack on or near the swollen gum. The root canal addresses the infection that leads to swollen gums and prevents it from spreading to the other teeth.
Discoloration of the teeth is more than just a visual flaw that hurts your self-confidence; it could also indicate serious dental issues. The discoloration sometimes results from trauma in your tooth’s internal structure, specifically the nerves and blood vessels found in the pulp. This leaves somewhat of a dark, discolored patch on your teeth.
You can’t remove internal tooth stains caused by dead nerve fibers in the pulp using extrinsic bleaching methods. Your dentist will have to remove the root pulp via a root canal, then bleach your tooth internally.
Severe tooth decay opens up the pulp to infection by bacteria. This leads to intense pain that doesn’t yield to ordinary painkillers. A root canal gets rid of the source of the pain(the infected pulp). This offers immediate and permanent pain relief and scales your teeth from damage.
Although these signs show you may need a root canal, only a qualified dentist can ascertain you need one. Visit your Alexandria dentist for a comprehensive diagnosis and an appointment for your root canal to safeguard your dental health.
Are you in need of a root canal? Contact Kenmore Family Dental Care for professional and expedient root canal treatment.
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