Even though root canals have a horrible (and untrue) reputation for being painful, they’re actually designed to quickly and effectively relieve pain, not cause it! In fact, they’re often the last option to save a horribly infected tooth from being extracted and incurring the complications of tooth loss. At North York Dental, we’re proud to offer fast, effective care for hurting teeth with gentle root canal therapy in North York. If you have an infected tooth that needs to be treated, we can quickly relieve its pain, stop infection in its tracks, and prevent future issues with this common tooth-saving procedure. To learn more about root canal therapy, keep reading or give us a call today.
Do I Need Root Canal Therapy?
The hard white shell around your teeth is called enamel. Underneath the enamel, your tooth has pulpy and soft matter. Inside this pulp is a collection of nerves, connective tissue, and blood vessels. Unfortunately, the pulp can get infected in a variety of ways, often caused by a crack, chip in your tooth, or deep cavity. Should this happen, the infection can cause a tremendous amount of pain and begin to attack the connective tissues that hold your tooth in place, and it may even spread to the surrounding teeth. That’s why it’s important to have your tooth treated with root canal therapy right away if you notice symptoms like:
- A sharp, stabbing pain in your teeth when biting down
- Lingering tooth sensitivity that lasts for 30 seconds or more
- A single tooth becoming dark or numb
- A small, pimple-like bump on the gums
- Discharge between the teeth
The Root Canal Process
Root canal treatment at our dental clinic is fairly straightforward. Your North York dentist will administer a reliable anesthetic to numb your mouth and ensure you are comfortable throughout the procedure. Once it has taken full effect, the next step will be to remove infected tissue from inside your tooth. We’ll make a small hole in your enamel and use specialized tools to remove all the decayed pulp from inside. Then, we’ll sanitize the area to ensure absolutely no bacteria was left behind. Then the hollowed-out tooth is filled with biocompatible material and the access hole is filled with composite resin. In most cases, we’ll also place a custom dental crown to keep your newly repaired tooth strong and healthy.
The Benefits of Getting a Root Canal
Root canal therapy has a notorious reputation that is founded on largely untrue rumors and myths. In fact, this tooth-saving procedure offers lots of benefits that will dramatically improve your quality of life! Such as:
- Regained ability to chew, eat, and go about your life without dental pain
- Lasting results that can protect your smile from future damage and infection
- Beautiful dental crowns that will seamlessly restore maximum function
- Effectively treat infection and keep it from spreading to nearby teeth
- Avoid all the complications and expenses that come with having a tooth extracted