The root canal in a tooth is the space in the center that contains dental pulp. This is the soft tissue that contains nerve endings. The root canal goes from the crown of the tooth to the root. Your front teeth have a single root canal but your chewing teeth have two or three.
You may require root canal treatment near me if the hard outer layer of your tooth, which is the enamel, has been damaged by injury or tooth decay. When this happens, bacteria can enter the pulp causing discomfort and severe pain. When you have this treatment, your dentist will open the tooth so they can access the root canal to remove the tissue that has been infected. To help maintain the strength of the tooth, the infected tissue can be replaced with a synthetic material.
Once the infection has been removed, the dentist will cover the tooth with a root canal cap. One of the main reasons that the dentist might cap the tooth is to ensure it will last a long time. After taking care of the infected tissue, and even filling it with synthetic material, it is still a shell of itself and subject to breaking. This is especially true if it is a tooth that is used for chewing.
When you visit your dentist to see if you need root canal treatment near me, the first thing that the dentist will do is an assessment of your damaged or infected tooth. They will take x-rays so they can see the inside of the tooth to determine the best treatment plan. If it is decided that you need a root canal treatment, it is generally done using a local anesthetic to numb the area of the mouth where the tooth is that is going to be treated.
Once the area is numbed, then the dentist will remove the infected pulp using a dental drill to open the tooth to reach the root where the pulp is. Once all the infected pulp is removed, then it will be time to fill it with synthetic material to help strengthen it. Once this is done it is time to put on the root canal cap. To do this, they will slightly reduce the size of your tooth and take an impression, or mold, of the tooth so the dental laboratory can make it custom fit your tooth. The cap, or crown, can be color-matched to your tooth so it will look natural.
Although there are some that may opt to not put a cap on their tooth after having root canal treatment, it is a good idea to do so to help prevent the tooth from cracking or breaking. If your tooth does crack or break, it may have to be extracted as it is hard to fix this type of tooth after a root canal treatment that was not capped.
Conclusion
A tooth infection can be painful so that is why it is important for you to see your dentist if you have any tooth pain to get it taken care of.
