Does your tooth ever bother you when you drink something cold or chew? Does your tooth continue to hurt after drinking cold and it throbs? Or does your tooth hurt only when you’re trying to sleep at night? If you answered yes to any one of these questions you might need root canals in the near future. The reason you could be having these symptoms is because you have a cavity on your tooth and it is in close proximity to the nerve of the tooth. Don’t you worry, Dr. Christopher Henes and his trained dental team can help correctly diagnose if you need a filling, root canal therapy, or other dental treatment.
A root canal is one of the most common dental procedures performed, and is a pretty easy procedure. This simple treatment can save your natural teeth and prevent the need for dental implants, bridges, or partial dentures.
At the center of your tooth is pulp. Pulp is a collection of blood vessels and nerve tissues that helps to build the surrounding tooth. Once you have a deep enough cavity this can cause an infection of the pulp. Pulpal inflammation can also be caused by trauma to the tooth, cracks and chips, or repeated dental procedures. Sometimes some dental procedures that were completed years ago can cause the need for a root canal. The same goes for trauma to your tooth. Symptoms that you have an infection of your tooth and pulpal tissues can be identified as visible injury or swelling of the tooth, sensitivity to temperature or pain in the tooth and gums. If you notice swelling of the gums around your tooth you need to be aware that this swelling can sometimes be life threatening even though they can start off small. These infections if not treated soon can affect your overall health.
Root canals are one of the most common dental procedures performed, and is a pretty easy procedure. This simple treatment can save your natural teeth and prevent the need for dental implants, bridges, or partial dentures.
At the center of your tooth is pulp. Pulp is a collection of blood vessels and nerve tissues that helps to build the surrounding tooth. Once you have a deep enough cavity this can cause an infection of the pulp. Pulpal inflammation can also be caused by trauma to the tooth, cracks and chips, or repeated dental procedures. Sometimes some dental procedures that were completed years ago can cause the need for a root canal. The same goes for trauma to your tooth. Symptoms that you have an infection of your tooth and pulpal tissues can be identified as visible injury or swelling of the tooth, sensitivity to temperature or pain in the tooth and gums. If you notice swelling of the gums around your tooth you need to be aware that this swelling can sometimes be life threatening even though they can start off small. These infections if not treated soon can affect your overall health.
If the cavity does in fact go inside the nerves and blood supply the tooth structure is removed, the soft tissue (nerve and blood supply) inside the root is removed. The tooth contain at least one root and one canal. On some teeth there can be multiple roots and multiple canals. The root canals are where the blood supply and nerve tissue are housed and get nutrients from the bone
To help ensure the tooth doesn’t fracture or the root canal therapy doesn’t fail, it is recommended to place a crown on the tooth.
A crown helps provide additional strength to a tooth that already has had a lot of work on it. A crown also helps prevent fracture of a root canaled tooth along with providing an excellent seal to make sure the root canal lasts and doesn’t get re-infected.
When your root canal therapy has been completed a build-up will be placed in your tooth. This is very similar to a dental filling. After the root canal is completed it is recommended that you have a crown placed on your tooth to help strengthen your tooth, provide an excellent seal preventing reinfection, and prevent fracture of the tooth. It is rare for endodontic patients to experience complications after routine endodontic treatments. If you do develop pain don’t worry the pain is often not from the tooth, but could be from the build-up being too high and your bite being misaligned. If a problem does occur, however, please give us a call so we can assess the situation and make sure there isn’t anything wrong with the your tooth or the filling.
If you are interested in learning more about root canals, call 303-695-0102 or book an appointment with our 5-star-rated dentist. We are conveniently located on Iliff near I-225. During your session, our experienced dentist and team will take the time to answer all your questions about our treatments, our office, our flexible payment options, and anything else you may want to know about us! Come to experience Iliff Family Dental and our unmatched patient experience! You will quickly see why people in Aurora, CO love us
