What Is Root Canal Treatment For?
Have you been experiencing tooth pain extensively? Does your tooth become sensitive towards hot and cold foods? Then it is time to take an appointment with an endodontist since you may be suffering from a root canal infection.
The enamel content in the tooth is one of the hardest parts of our body. The other side of the stronger tooth is the soft pulp inside the tooth socket that holds the roots, tissues and connecting nerves and also contains blood vessels of the teeth.
Sometimes the pulp of the tooth gets infected due to many reasons such as injury, ignored oral hygiene, cracked tooth, narrow and curved canals which become hideouts to infection-causing bacteria or any previous dental treatments that may have caused the infection.
The reasons for the root canal treatment can differ from person to person but the pain and discomfort are constant among all the candidates. The infected pulp damages the tooth completely by loosening them, discolouring them, chipping and cracking the tooth, swelling of gums and causing pus formations too.
The root canal infection can cause extensive damage to the entire teeth system when ignored or when the infection spreads beyond control. An infected pulp has to be removed so that it does not affect other consecutive teeth and root canal treatment is the ideal solution for it. To stop the infection, the damaged pulp has to be removed and the entire pulp area is cleaned and disinfected. To avoid further bacteria formation, the empty canal is covered with fillings and is later sealed with a dental crown.
Questions to Ask Before Root Canal Treatment
If you are visiting an endodontist for the first time you may be unaware of what to expect and what details to ask for. Here are some of the valid questions and the answers you would be seeking before the root canal treatment.
Why Is the Root Canal Infection Pain So Much?
The core of the tooth known as the pulp has many connecting issues, nerves, blood cells and roots that hold the tooth and keep it stronger. At times the pulp may get infected by bacteria without our knowledge due to some tooth injury or extensive dental treatments or even when the bacteria enter through a cracked tooth. The infected tooth becomes extensively painful and also causes damage to the roots of the tooth.
Will Root Canal Treatment Be Painful?
Root canal therapy is performed by an expert endodontist who uses special pieces of equipment and instruments to clear the infection and fill the canal with materials that will protect the canal from further bacterial infection. The procedure is done by inducing local anesthesia to the infected tooth area so it is a painless procedure.
The fact is, people, think the root canal treatment is painful but it is painful if the treatment is not taken. There can be slight discomfort and sensations in the tooth area during the tooth-filling procedure but nothing after that. Due to the involvement of surgical procedures, there can be swelling and slight pain for 2-3 days. The endodontist will provide pain-relieving medications that will also help in reducing swelling.
How Successful Is Having a Root Canal Procedure?
The success rate of the root canal procedure is 90%-95%. The root canal treatment takes away the pain and infection completely. The surgical procedure involves complex procedures to be performed under the tooth hence making it a microscopic process. So it is very important to perform this treatment only by an experienced endodontist who has the trained skills, pieces of equipment, tools and most importantly experience in handling the complications related to it to make it a successful treatment.
Multiple Root Canal
The term root canal causes anxiety in many people due to the fear of pain and discomfort but the problem is not the treatment procedure, it is not painful at all. But if the teeth issues related to root canal infection and their strong symptoms are ignored then it raises more concern since the infection may spread to other teeth too which leads to multiple root canal therapies.
When the infected tooth is left untreated, it starts spreading to other healthy teeth also making it more painful and extensive time to resolve the issues. Immediate actions and treatments taken will reduce the discomfort and the dangers affected by it.
Multiple root canal treatments can typically be over in 2-3 sittings in the dental clinic. It is painless during the procedure. There can some discomfort and pain post-procedure and the specialist provides required medications that evade both pain and discomfort.
Steps to Consider After Root Canal Treatment
The pain and discomfort attached to the root canal are very minimal and it does not require many days of bed rest to recover. But there are a few important tips that are to be followed for quick healing and also to avoid future issues of the root canal. The post-treatment care is very important for a healthy tooth structure and the following steps are to be followed for it:
Immediately After
The tooth area will continue to be numb for a few hours after the procedure due to induced anesthesia. Do not eat anything or consume hot beverages during this time. Since there will be a possibility of a burning sensation and also biting too hard may affect the treated area making it a failed procedure.
Take the given painkillers that will help ease the discomfort and pain. With medications, just rest for a day.
Next Few Days
Eat soft foods only.
Continue the prescribed medications.
Brushing teeth should be done very carefully.
Chew foods only on the other side of the teeth that have not undergone the root canal procedure.
Future Care
Do not miss the dental appointment given to follow up on the given treatment. Usually, the fillings done to the canal are temporary only and they need to be replaced with a dental crown. So it is important to complete the procedures at the right time to have a successful root canal treatment.
