What Happens During A Root Canal (and When to Consider Getting One)

A serious tooth infection can ruin your life. Not only can severe infections be painful from moment to moment, but any attempt to eat or drink can also cause excruciating spikes in pain and that infection can spread into your jaw and throughout your body unless brought to a halt and removed. Untreated infection running rampant may affect your general overall health, and require tooth extraction that could otherwise have been prevented. If only there was a successful alternative to get rid of these symptoms once and for all?!

There is. Root canal therapy from a dentist in Legacy halts infection, removes the infection, eliminates pain, and preserves your natural tooth. Now, we know what you’ve heard about root canal therapy and maybe a bit about what you’ve imagined. But before you make the next important decision about preserving your general and dental health, know the facts. Undergoing a root canal near you can change your life — for the better.

What happens during a root canal? 

During root canal therapy in Legacy, your dentist will open up your tooth, extract all infected material, clean out your tooth, and seal it to keep it infection-free. With careful post-surgical care, diligent oral hygiene habits, and a well-designed and well-maintained crown, your tooth will have all its normal dental function going forward. The only thing you’ll miss? The infection and all the symptoms and risks that went along with it. 

How do you know you need a root canal?

Are you losing sleep because of a toothache? 

Throbbing pain beyond what comes with an ordinary and temporary toothache, and which is capable of keeping you awake or breaking through your sleep, might be the result of infected tooth pulp requiring a root canal from a dentist in Legacy. 

Is your tooth discoloured?

Seriously infected teeth can lose their lustre and gradually darken compared to their adjacent teeth. If it looks like one of your teeth is darkening compared to its neighbours, you may need root canal therapy. 

Do you always and constantly have bad breath?

Bad breath is a fact of life and can usually be managed by abstaining from smoking, brushing and flossing regularly, or chewing some gum in the worst cases. If you have bad breath despite those strategies to deal with it, it may be the result of infected pulp. 

Are your teeth always sensitive to one thing or another? 

Occasional sensitivity to heat or cold isn’t itself the sign of a serious dental problem. Having said that, when the pulp of a tooth is badly infected, the effect of that infection on the tooth’s nerve changes its sensitivity. A badly infected tooth may be newly and constantly sensitive to heat and cold, and even to sweet foods and beverages. 

Are your lymph nodes swollen?

Your lymph nodes swell when they respond to germs carried into the nodes by lymph fluid. Serious tooth infections do not restrict themselves to your teeth, mouth, and jaw, but cause nearby lymph nodes in your throat to swell up. 

Are your gums red and swollen?

Pulpitis that will require root canal therapy to resolve sometimes presents with red and inflamed gums. Even if that condition of your gums doesn’t warrant root canal surgery, it may suggest the presence of serious gum disease requiring some intervention as soon as possible. 

Every dentist near you understands you’d like to avoid root canals if at all possible. That’s why the entire profession places so much emphasis on preventative care. We also know, though, how important it is not to ignore the indication of a serious tooth infection. Root canal therapy at a dentist in Legacy can rescue teeth from infection and unnecessary extraction. Are you experiencing any symptoms suggesting you would benefit from painless root canal therapy? If so, reach out to a dental clinic near you without delay and ask how they can help.