What is a Root Canal?
A root canal treatment is a dental procedure to remove swollen or infected tissue from inside of the tooth which is carefully cleaned and disinfected to eliminate bacteria from the infected root canal, then filled and sealed to prevent reinfection of the tooth and save the natural tooth.
Signs that indicate you may need root canal treatment..
Tooth pain that doesn’t go away: If you have pain deep in your tooth, you may need root canal therapy. Discomfort may also radiate to your jaw, face or other teeth.
Sensitivity to heat and cold: If your tooth hurts when you drink hot coffee or eat ice cream. This is especially true if the pain lingers for more than a few seconds.
Swollen gums: When a tooth is infected, pus can collect in the area.
Pimple on the gums: Pus from the infected tooth may drain from the pimple, causing an unpleasant taste or smell.
Swollen jaw: If pus doesn’t drain your jaw may become visibly swollen.
Tooth discoloration: Infection can cause your tooth to become darker.
Pain when pressure is applied: The nerves around the pulp are damaged.
A chipped or cracked tooth: Sometimes bacteria can reach all the way into the tooth pulp through crack.
Loose tooth: The pus from the infected pulp can soften the bone that supports the tooth.
What are the steps?
Step 1: Anesthetic
In our The Smile Project: A Multispeciality dental clinic in Mohali, we take every precautions from using high quality medicine and equipment with standard technique to make each procedure painless.
the usual steps are to place a small amount of numbing medication on your gum near the affected tooth. Once effective, a local anesthetic is injected into your gums.
You’ll remain awake during the procedure, but the anesthetic will keep you from feeling any pain.
Step 2: Removing the pulp and infection
When your tooth is numb, the dentist will make a small opening in the top of the tooth or remove all caries to reach infected or damaged pulp, then carefully remove and clean it using special tools called files.
Step 3: Antibiotics
Once the pulp has been removed, the dentist may apply antibiotic to ensure that the infection is gone and to prevent reinfection. Once the canals are cleaned and disinfected, the dentist will fill and seal the tooth with a sealer paste and rubber-like material called gutta-percha. They also may prescribe you oral antibiotics.
Step 4: Temporary filling
The dentist will end the procedure by filling the small opening in the top of the tooth with a soft, temporary material. This helps prevent the canals from being damaged by saliva until a final permanent restoration like crown or onlay is placed.
What are the advantages of having a root canal procedure?
There are several benefits to choosing root canal therapy. This treatment can:
Prevent infection from spreading to other teeth.
Ease the symptoms associated with an infected tooth.
Reduce the risk of jawbone damage.
Eliminate the need for tooth extraction
What happens after a root canal?
After completion of root canal and restorative procedure. Most people who undergo the procedure are able to enjoy the positive results for the rest of their lives. Still, how long results last depends on the way you take care of your teeth.
Just as the rest of your teeth depend on good oral hygiene habits, your restored tooth requires regular brushing and flossing as well.
If you feel that you might need such treatment yourself, then book an appointment with us for complete check-up and comfortable experience.
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