Are you experiencing persistent tooth pain that it is making it hard for you to do focus on things throughout the day, or even giving you trouble sleeping at night? In some cases, this can be due to inflamed or infected pulp in the root of your tooth. This is a fairly common condition that your dentist can treat by performing a root canal.
The purpose of a root canal is to relieve pain and save your tooth from having to be pulled. There are two areas of the tooth, the crown (visible gum line) and the root, which extends below the gum. Inside your teeth, there is a hollow area called a canal, with tunnels that run down the root. These spaces contain nerves and soft tissue called pulp. If this pulp becomes infected, often due to a cavity, it needs to be removed.
A root canal, repairs and saves a tooth that is decayed or infected. During the root canal procedure, the tooth’s nerve and pulp are removed, cleaned out, and sealed. Infected teeth and other oral health problems are a serious issue and should not be ignored. If ignored, other complications, such as infected gums and painful abscesses can form.
Root canals are needed when a tooth has severe decay or damage. It’s very common to need a root canal if cavities are left untreated, allowing the decay to progress into the inner area of your tooth. Here are more signs that you may need a root canal.
- Hot and cold sensitivity: Having tooth decay and infection can often affect the nerve at the center of the tooth. Eating and drinking hot and cold things will cause tooth discomfort, so a root canal can help solve this issue. This isn’t always the case, however, as receding gums can also expose more of the tooth area and become more sensitive to hot and cold.
- Swollen lymph nodes: Just about any infection can cause swelling of your lymph nodes as your immune system begins responding to the disturbance. If you think you have an infected tooth, check the lymph nodes on your neck to see if they are large and tender. But don’t let that be the only sign of a tooth infection, because swollen lymph nodes are not always present with an infection.
- Gum infection: If your gums bleed when you brush and floss that may be a sign of a gum infection, which in turn could be related to an infected tooth. The more inflammation the higher the risk for infection.
- Pain when chewing: If you chew food and it hurts, that could be a sign that you may need a root canal. Open caries (cavities) can create a direct line to a very sensitive nerve in the tooth, and the pain can become unbearable.
Don’t let these signs dictate your decision on dental care, however. It’s important to visit your dentist at the first sign of pain or anything out of the ordinary, because dental problems and pain can escalate rather quickly. Innovative new materials and technology help make getting a root canal much faster and pain free than it has historically been, so fears about a root canal are quickly becoming a thing of the past.
For fast, effective root canal treatment, call Dedicated Dental at (702) 566-5509, or request an appointment online.
