Enjoy Your Daily Life, Smile Again with Root Canal Therapy

Have you begun experiencing dental pain when you try to sit down and enjoy a meal, or even take a coffee break? If so, it’s possible you have an infection. While cavities can often cause sensitivity or even mild pain, infections within the tooth frequently cause a great deal of discomfort. These are symptoms you definitely don’t want to ignore, especially considering that restorative treatment could help eliminate your pain and restore your oral health. Restorative treatment for a tooth infection often involves root canal therapy. And while you might not be stoked to hear that, the good news is that if a dentist recommends a root canal it means the tooth can likely be saved!

How Infections Happen, and How Restorative Treatment Can Help

Infections are generally caused by untreated cavities. If not restored through a cleaning and filling, a cavity will continue to erode the enamel of your teeth, exposing the more sensitive layer beneath it, the dentin. Over time this process of decay can cause the interior of the tooth to become infected, which is what creates the need for root canal treatment.

During root canal treatment any infected portions of the tooth are removed, the area is then cleaned and sanitized, and a dental crown is usually affixed to help prevent reinfection.

Choosing the Least Invasive Treatment

While a root canal might seem more extensive or painful than an extraction, it is actually considered the less invasive of the two options. That’s because an extraction is only step one in a two-part process to restore your oral health. When an extraction is necessary, tooth replacement then becomes required in order to complete your smile and preserve your remaining teeth’s alignment. On the contrary, root canal treatment can help save your existing tooth, so that your original smile remains complete. Using a dental crown can help protect the damaged tooth and make function more comfortable and safe for you after an infection.