Some Things To Know About Root Canal

Root canal treatment (RCT) is a procedure to remove the pulp of the infected tooth, fill it with a tooth-filling, and seal the tooth with a crown to prevent it from getting infected again. It is performed under anesthesia and has a downtime of a week mostly. A root canal becomes necessary when bacteria reach the pulp and infect it. This happens when a cavity is not treated in time.

If you are experiencing constant toothache, sensitive jaw, or swollen gums, you should contact a professional at the museum district root canal, as these are symptoms of a tooth infection and need immediate medical attention.

Signs indicating you may need an RCT

Sometimes, you cannot even tell if you have a tooth infection until it is too late and the symptoms are evident. These are a few common symptoms you may experience when you have an infection:

• Consistent pain in the tooth: Although there could be various reasons for a toothache, if the pain is persistent and makes you feel faint, you most likely need a root canal treatment.
• Sensitivity to heat and cold: You need an RCT if eating both hot and cold things like hot coffee or ice cream causes pain and makes your teeth very sensitive.
• Pain during eating: When chewing your food causes discomfort and pain, it is a sign you may need to go for a root canal. You might even experience pain when touching the area around the toothache.
• Swollen and sensitive jaw: If you notice your jaw getting inflamed around the area where your toothache is, it’s a sign the toothache is more than a cavity and needs treatment.
• Swollen gums: This is one of the most obvious signs, along with pain and discomfort, that something is wrong with your teeth. Your gums swell when pus collects around the area of the infected tooth.

How is RCT performed?

• You are first put on anesthesia to numb the area of the affected tooth. Your doctor uses a numbing cream to numb the area before injecting the anesthesia. After that, you are asked to wait a while to let the anesthesia kick in so your doctor can start the treatment.

• After the anesthesia kicks in, the dentist makes a small hole in the top of your infected tooth to make an opening, then proceeds to remove the pulp using tools called files.

• After the pulp removal, your doctor cleans and disinfects the root canals.

• The canals are then filled with a rubbery material known as gutta-percha.

• Finally, the tooth is sealed with either a crown or a filling, completing the procedure.