Saving Infected Teeth with Painless Root Canal Treatment
Nothing compares to your natural tooth’s look, function, and feel. That’s why you should brush and floss your teeth daily alongside bi-annual dental cleanings. However, dental infections can occur despite your good oral hygiene, requiring extra attention.
Wilmington Smiles provides root canal therapy (RCT) as a solution to rescue infected teeth from extraction. While our practice does offer dental extractions, we advocate for them only as a last resort. In cases of decay or damage to a tooth, Dr. Gregory Garrett recommends endodontic treatment to preserve your natural tooth.
Warning signs you need a root canal
Root canal symptoms don’t start until the condition has advanced, so it’s important to see a dentist regularly. While only a dentist can determine the need for a root canal, certain signs can prompt you to see a dentist.
These include:
- A persistent toothache
- Tooth sensitivity, especially when consuming cold or hot drinks
- Tooth discoloration (an infected tooth darkens over time)
- A recurrent pimple-like swelling on the gums
- Swollen gums and cheeks
- Bad breath despite good oral hygiene
When you spot any of the signs above, immediately schedule an appointment with the dentist. The earlier your tooth is treated, the more successful your root canal treatment will be. When you postpone treating a tooth infection, soon the infection spreads deeper into the tooth and the surrounding tissues, leaving dental extraction as the only solution.
What to expect from root canal procedure
A dental infection is an infection of the innermost part of the tooth, the pulp. Due to a cracked tooth, faulty dental work, or cavities, harmful bacteria may penetrate the enamel and enter the pulp chamber, causing inflammation. Root canal treatment removes the diseased pulp tissues to make your tooth healthy again.
Before the procedure, the dentist numbs your tooth to minimize discomfort during treatment. Should you need added comfort, you can consider sedation dentistry. Once you are comfortable, the dentist makes a small opening at the topmost part of the tooth. Using this access hole, Dr. Garrett removes the infected pulp tissue before cleaning and sanitizing the inside of the tooth to remove all traces of bacteria.
Next, the dentist fills the empty chamber and canals with a rubber-like material called gutta-percha. Finally, we restore your tooth with a dental filling, but if it’s severely weakened, our dentist will restore it with a crown. After a root canal, your tooth will function and look healthy for many years.
Root canal treatment near me
Suspect an infected tooth in Wilmington, NC? Please dial (910) 208-6721 to schedule an appointment with Wilmington Smiles for root canal services.
