Root Canal Overview - What is Root Canal Therapy?

When a tooth starts to decay and chip away, a person can start experiencing extreme pain. This pain is caused by damaged and infected nerves in the dental pulp. Bacteria appear when a cavity forms and this bacteria can grow until it reaches the pulpal nerve. Of course, a nerve may also sustain damage is the tooth or jaw is struck with an intense force.

Either of these circumstances will call for immediate root canal therapy. Root canal therapy can correct these problems. It will also take care of the pain and prevent the further spread of infection.

Root canal therapy can help in more than one way. Of course, taking care of the pain is a big factor for a lot of people. However, the pain you are experiencing is not the biggest concern of the dentist. Stopping the spread of infection is the biggest factor in getting a root canal. If the infection is left to spread, it will eventually penetrate the bone around the tooth. The bone will then become incapable of holding the tooth in place after some time. This is why root canal therapy can be so very important.

Root canal therapy is a procedure that starts with the removal of the crown of the affected tooth, so that the professional can gain access to the damaged or infected pulpal nerve. Once the professional removes the affected tissue, they clean the surrounding area. Once the area is completely clean, the professional enlarges and shapes it so that the surface will bond to the filling that is placed there to prevent any infection from reoccurring. After the filling is applied, a dental crown is placed to seal the restored tooth.

Thankfully, the pain that used to be associated with root canal therapy is no more. Today, a root canal is virtually pain free, especially with the availability of sedation dentistry treatments. So, if you are in need of a root canal and are worried about the pain, do not fret.