Root canal therapy is a treatment that aims to preserve the beauty of your smile naturally! In this treatment, the dentist removes the bacteria infection that has entered your tooth’s pulp or nerve chamber.
Tooth may become irritated and inflamed due to several reasons such as deep decay, big fillings, a chipped tooth or even repeated dental work. Once the infection is inside your tooth and the bacteria are not removed it will work its way to the tip of the root and eventually into your bone. Once it does, it will cause an abscess and infection.
Root canal process will save your tooth and retain the natural shape of your jaw. If you choose to extract the tooth, the space caused by the missing tooth will cause the surrounding teeth to shift into that space. This shift could cause a misalignment in your mouth that can result in problems with your jaw. In addition, these shifted teeth are harder to clean, making them more susceptible to gum disease, decay or even additional tooth loss.
Root canal therapy treats the diseased pulp of the tooth, but the treatment is not complete until the tooth is restored to a functional stage. This means a crown, or a similar type of dental work is necessary to make the tooth operational again.
Myth #1 – Root canal treatment is painful
With modern technologies and anesthetics, root canal treatment today is no more a painful affair. Generally, people consult a dentist only when they have a severe toothache. The toothache can be caused by damaged tissues in the tooth. Root canal treatment removes this damaged tissue from the tooth, thereby relieving the pain you feel.
Myth #2—Root canal treatment causes illness
People believe that receiving root canal treatment contributes to the occurrence of illness and disease in the body.
A root canal is a safe and effective procedure. There is no valid, scientific evidence linking root canal-treated teeth and disease elsewhere in the body. Root canal treatment is designed to eliminate bacteria from the infected root canal. It prevents reinfection of the tooth and saves the natural tooth.
Myth #3 – A good alternative to root canal treatment is tooth extraction
Saving your natural teeth is always the best option so that you can continue to enjoy the wide variety of foods necessary to maintain the proper nutrient balance in your diet and also retain the natural shape of your jaw.
Endodontic treatment is a cost-effective way to save your teeth. It also has a very high success rate. Many root canal-treated teeth last a lifetime.