Root Canal Treatment — Spring TX
Did you chip your tooth and now it hurts when you bite into something? Do you have a sharp, stabbing pain in your mouth that’s keeping you up at night? If so, there’s a good chance that you are in need of a root canal. There may even be instances where you are not experiencing any pain (yet) and a root canal is recommended to repair a tooth and save it from further damage.
What is a root canal?
To understand what root canal therapy is used for, it’s important to understand the basic anatomy of a tooth. The visible outer portion of the tooth has a tough, protective layer, called tooth enamel. Without proper care, tooth enamel can weaken over time and the tooth can sustain enough damage to expose the soft inner tissue inside of a tooth that contains the nerves that are deep inside of the root of the tooth. When a tooth becomes damaged due to decay, trauma or some other issue, it will cause varying levels of pain. At this point, the inside of the tooth has become irreversibly compromised. The root canal is oftentimes the only way to repair and save a tooth.
How does it work?
A root canal can restore a tooth that is severely injured, cracked, or decayed by removing the infected pulp of a tooth, cleaning and disinfecting the area, and then filling it with special, medicated dental materials that will prevent further infection. A dental crown or other type of restoration may be required to protect, strengthen, and restore the tooth to its full function.
Minor root canal cases usually take about 30 minutes of treatment. More complex cases can take 60 – 90 minutes, or may require a second visit, in which case both visits are spaced out by a week.
Never ignore a toothache!
If a cavity is deep enough to cause persistent pain, you need to seek treatment immediately or risk losing the tooth. If you have a severe toothache and suspect you need an emergency root canal, schedule an appointment to visit our office. We’re here to help you feel better quickly!
Signs you may need a root canal:
Root canal treatment is necessary when the pulp and nerves of the tooth become inflamed or infected. The most common cause of infection is a cracked tooth or a deep cavity that allows harmful bacteria to enter the pulp. A dental infection can spread quickly. By the time it reaches the center of your tooth, it can cause significant pain and swelling. You may experience sharp shooting pain, especially when you eat hot or cold foods. In addition to extreme sensitivity to cold and hot temperatures, other signs that you may have a dental infection, and need a root canal are a severe toothache, pain when biting down, gum abscess or tender and swollen gums, and discoloration of the affected tooth.
Teeth that require a root canal are not always painful. In some cases, there are no signs or symptoms of a dental infection until it completely destroys your tooth. While your teeth may appear healthy on the surface, the inside of your tooth may be telling a different story. A tiny hairline crack in your tooth is enough to let bacteria pass through. It may be invisible to the naked eye but a dentist is trained to spot such issues. This is one reason that regular checkups are crucial to your dental health.
Unfortunately, this type of dental infection will not heal on its own, and ignoring it will only cause more problems. If an infected tooth is left untreated, the entire tooth could be lost from decay and extraction may be the only option. The infection can even spread to nearby teeth! We believe extraction is always the last option. Pulling a tooth can cause significant, and more costly, problems for adjacent teeth. Dr. Tan has the training and proven experience required to achieve lasting results.
We want to ensure that patients can keep their natural teeth as long as possible! The sooner we’re able to treat an issue, no matter how small, the less intensive treatment you’ll need.
Comfortable Root Canals:
We know how unbearable tooth pain can be. While the infection that brought you into our office can be extremely painful, a root canal treatment is meant to relieve it. As a comprehensive dental care provider, we are here to get you back to being pain-free and help restore your tooth as quickly as possible. We take great care to ensure that our gentle root canal treatments are completed with minimal discomfort. While they may have a bad reputation for being a painful treatment, many patients say that a root canal is far less painful and uncomfortable than the infection itself. In fact, when the root canal is over, all you will notice is how much your tooth no longer hurts.
If you’re in pain, don’t wait any longer to do something about it! In most cases, we can fit you in on the same day you call. Our gentle root canal treatment will
- Stop the throbbing pain from your toothache
- Save the tooth from having to be extracted
Dr. Tan understands you may be nervous about this procedure, so he makes his Spring, TX, dental office a soothing environment and offers sedation options to keep you relaxed and comfortable during your procedure.
Because root canals are often spur of the moment procedures, our goal is to make your treatment as affordable as possible. If you have dental insurance, some or all of the cost may be covered. For those without dental insurance, our affordable financing options can help.
Let us help you feel better fast!
When a tooth is in pain, don’t wait to seek treatment! It’s important to make an appointment to see us as soon as possible to help minimize both your pain and your risk for developing more serious oral problems down the road. At Spring Complete Care Dentistry, we can provide you with the gentle, expert care from a great dental care team you know and trust.