Root Canal (Endodontics)
Root canal therapy is a common way of saving a natural tooth that has been damaged from infection or disease, fracture, trauma, deep cavities, or any other issue that may cause inflammation to the pulp tissue or nerve of the tooth. By removing the damaged nerve and pulp tissue inside of a tooth, we can relieve pain and make the tooth healthy again.
Symptoms of Infection Requiring a Root Canal
Symptoms you may experience with an infection may include sensitivity to hot and/or cold foods or beverages, swollen or tender gums, pain while chewing or biting, a chipped or cracked tooth, pimple on the gum and deep decay or darkening of the gums.
Patient Experience
Although root canal therapy is believed to be one of the most feared and painful dental procedure, it is truly a relatively pain-free, quick and comfortable experience. The benefits of the procedure and advances in dental technology have made it much less "scary". Local anesthetics and proper pain medication allow the procedure to be performed with little to no pain in most cases.
During the procedure, the area around the tooth is numbed with a local anesthetic to start the procedure. Dr. Northcutt will then drill down into the tooth to create an opening into the canal. He will then be able to remove infected tissue and clean the canal. After the infection has been removed, the space is filled with a sealant called gutta percha. It is highly recommended that a tooth that has undergone a root canal be fitted with a crown. This will improve the appearance of the tooth and will also make it much more likely that the root canal will be successful.
There may be some soreness following the procedure, but that is normal for most dental procedures. Over the counter painkillers are usually enough to relieve any pain afterwards. The procedure will also relieve you from pain caused by the infection allowing you to again enjoy all the foods you love without any pain from heat, cold or biting too hard.
Symptoms of Infection Requiring a Root Canal
Symptoms you may experience with an infection may include sensitivity to hot and/or cold foods or beverages, swollen or tender gums, pain while chewing or biting, a chipped or cracked tooth, pimple on the gum and deep decay or darkening of the gums.
Patient Experience
Although root canal therapy is believed to be one of the most feared and painful dental procedure, it is truly a relatively pain-free, quick and comfortable experience. The benefits of the procedure and advances in dental technology have made it much less "scary". Local anesthetics and proper pain medication allow the procedure to be performed with little to no pain in most cases.
During the procedure, the area around the tooth is numbed with a local anesthetic to start the procedure. Dr. Northcutt will then drill down into the tooth to create an opening into the canal. He will then be able to remove infected tissue and clean the canal. After the infection has been removed, the space is filled with a sealant called gutta percha. It is highly recommended that a tooth that has undergone a root canal be fitted with a crown. This will improve the appearance of the tooth and will also make it much more likely that the root canal will be successful.
There may be some soreness following the procedure, but that is normal for most dental procedures. Over the counter painkillers are usually enough to relieve any pain afterwards. The procedure will also relieve you from pain caused by the infection allowing you to again enjoy all the foods you love without any pain from heat, cold or biting too hard.
