Root Canal Treatment Is Nothing to Be Feared

Here at Clarence House Dental Care we know many people are slightly apprehensive about having a root canal treatment. We’d like to reassure you that this therapy should be little worse than having a normal filling and we do make sure that you are kept comfortable and pain-free during treatment. In fact a root canal treatment is excellent for saving badly infected teeth and the results can be extremely long lasting, we hope for life.

When Is a Root Canal Treatment Necessary?

We use root canal treatments to remove infection from the central part of a tooth in the area called the pulp. The pulp of the tooth contains blood vessels, connective tissues and nerves which extend into the root canals in the roots of the teeth. This part of isn’t essential in an adult tooth and the tooth will be able to function perfectly well without it.

A tooth can become infected if you have had some sort of trauma or if you have a cavity or leaky filling that has allowed bacteria to get into the inner part of the tooth. You’ll normally get plenty of indications that this is happened as an infected tooth can be very painful, sometimes just when you try to bite or chew on it while other times it may manifest as a throbbing, constant pain.

Signs That the Tooth Has Become Infected

If you look at the tooth it may appear slightly discoloured or the gums around the tooth may become swollen. In the worst case they may even be a slight pimple developing on the gum tissue where the infection has built up beyond the root of the tooth and is trying to escape and where the tooth has unfortunately become abscessed. If you do develop toothache, make an appointment to see an emergency dentist in Watton as soon as you can. The worse the infection, the less likely we are to be able to save the tooth and if it is particularly bad then we may have to extract the tooth in order to clear up the infection. Diagnosis is quite quick and if you are in pain then we have same-day appointments available to relieve your discomfort.

What Will Happen during a Root Canal Treatment?

Our dentist in Watton will access the pulp through the crown or exposed part of the tooth, taking care to remove all the pulp tissue before cleaning out all the root canals. The number of root canals can vary according to the location of the tooth as for example a front tooth will only have one root canal whereas back teeth can have three. After making sure the area is thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, the tooth will be sealed up. You’ll normally have to return for more treatment at a later date as the tooth will need to be restored with a filling or a crown to protect it against any further damage.

If you do have a nagging pain in a tooth or haven’t visited a dentist in Watton for a while, why not book a checkup today? Call us on 01953 882777.