Something about learning we need a root canal sends chills right up our spines and terror through our minds. What is it with that term that’s so fear-inducing? A lot of us have many root canals; they’re present in each tooth we have in our mouth; nothing worrying about that, is there? How would a root canal treatment near you help in this regard?
But when we have an infected tooth with its canals cleaned out, the term symbolizes an entirely new definition.
Why You Shouldn’t Fear Root Canal Therapy
Loosen up; the pain you have before having the root canal therapy near you is perhaps one-hundred times bigger than this treatment itself. If you have a rotting tooth, plus its nerve has died, it cannot possibly hurt to have a dentist poking around in it, can it? And that is exactly what transpires in a root canal.
Your dentist in Okotoks would perform a root canal treatment to save an infected tooth, one where the tooth pulp plus the nerve have been so severely damaged that they will have to be removed, thus minimizing this pain you have in the area and enabling you to go back to eating on both sides of your mouth.
You may need this treatment if you’ve got an infection in the tooth itself or surrounding jaw bone, fractures in the tooth that have permitted bacteria to enter, or facial trauma for practically any range of reasons. They can also be necessary if you have had several dental treatments in that general area that have weakened a particular tooth.
Root Canal Procedure Explained
First, your dentist near you will make an access hole in the tooth with a drill, and after that, they will set up different-sized files down into the tooth’s canal to wash off the gunk that was causing the problem. The nerve and pulp (something found in the middle of all teeth in a small pocket) are taken out, and once done, all traces of bacteria and decay are out of your mouth.
Nerves in our pearly whites run from the pocket of pulp, which also consists of connective tissue and blood vessels, down the canals to the lower tip of the tooth. As soon as the nerve dies, there is no sensation in any way connected with that tooth.
After the tooth is cleaned out, the dentist applies a sealer paste and a rubber-like compound to fill the canal, and eventually, a filling is added to close the access hole.
If you leave the tooth on its own, you will likely be in a lot of pain, and it may even be an abscess, a pus-filled pocket that forms toward the end of tooth roots, which is something you really want to avoid.
It is at this point that this treatment comes in. Naturally, root canal therapy in Okotoks allows the dentist to get into the tooth and get rid of the infected pulp. They then clean the inside of the root canals to get all the bacteria and infected tissue out, and then the spaces are closed with a natural polymer called gutta-percha. Once they are sealed, there isn’t any room for additional bacteria or infections to get in. Alternatives to this procedure are you do nothing, which may not be a good idea, or you get your tooth pulled out, which can have a host of issues associated with it too.
Why It Makes Sense Opting for Root Canal Treatments
Having a root canal treatment in Okotoks is practically pain-free. The dental professional will use a local anesthetic and, afterward, over-the-counter painkillers.
Essential Dentistry would like you to enjoy going to the dentist again! They specialize in restorative, cosmetic, preventative, and sedation dental procedures.