Endodontic treatment or root canal therapy is a dental procedure used to preserve teeth where the nerve has been infected. Endodontic treatment is vital in avoiding having to rush to the ER due to pain from abscess or tooth extractions. Your trusted Bronx root canal specialist prepares the inside of your tooth to help preserve your smile and reduce the chances of the infection spreading to the neighboring teeth.
Reasons to Get a Root Canal
- Abscessed teeth
- Presence of large cavities extending to the dental nerves
- Aggressive tooth decay
- Chronic toothaches or severe pain
- Trauma resulting in tooth chipping or cracking
- Leaking fillings
Your doctor will request an X-ray to help determine the severity of your tooth damage. This gives a closer look at the length of the root and surrounding areas. Periapical X-rays help pick out issues such as fractures below the gum line and abscesses.
An abscessed tooth may not be painful, making it hard for you to tell that there is a problem. Your doctor asserts that your tooth may be slowly dying and start changing in color 10 years after an injury. You may be clueless about what is happening until it is too late to save your tooth.
Keeping you comfortable during a root canal
The root canal procedure at Nishita Gandhi, DDS is designed to help provide fast relief against pain. If your gum is inflamed, your dentist can opt to put you on antibiotics before numbing your tooth. This helps enhance the efficiency level of the anesthetic to ensure no pain during treatment.
Your doctor can also use nitrous oxide sedation or laughing gas to help make you comfortable during treatment. Sedation helps reduce sensitivity to stimuli and makes you relax. The gas effects wear off by the time the procedure is done and can be reversed if need be.
Root canal treatment is designed to help you regain your smile without having to endure pain. By using the right equipment, skilled personnel, and modern medication, your root canal therapy can be gentler than you may have anticipated.
Alternatives to root canal treatment
The team at Nishita Gandhi, DDS, is dedicated to providing alternative therapies and making this known to you. This will help you make an informed decision while looking to restore your smile. While you can opt to have your paining tooth extracted, this can expose you to further oral problems including TMJ problems and the need for tooth replacement.
After endodontic therapy
Nishita Gandhi, DDS, would like you to remember some important information after your root canal treatment. Your dentist has to make a new crown for covering your tooth. After the nerves have been removed from the affected tooth, the surrounding structure may become brittle and dry. A crown cap helps restore your bite.
You are required to regularly floss and brush your teeth while taking care not to hurt the gum line. The area around the crown can develop decay if you do not clean it properly.
Schedule a consultation with your dentist to learn if root canal therapy can help your oral situation.