Thanks to Modern Medicine, Root Canal Treatments are No Big Deal

While it is of course best to preserve teeth so they don’t suffer from decay or infection, it can get the best of us at times. Restoring and preserving teeth can be just as important, and a root canal treatment in Houston could be just the thing to save your teeth from being lost entirely.

What to Watch For

Most people will be unaware that they need a root canal treatment unless symptoms are apparent and bothersome enough to get checked at a dentist. Regular visits to the dentist every 6 months can show early signs that a root canal may be necessary or avoided entirely.

But when the pain gets too bad, a checkup is definitely in order. Main symptoms for needing a root canal treatment include:

●     Tenderness when chewing or touching a tooth

●     General pain, even when nothing is touching the tooth

●     Increased sensitivity to hot and cold temperatures, like coffee or ice cream

●     Swelling of the gums around a tooth

●     Drainage of pus

It is also possible that no symptoms could be apparent. That’s why proactive checkups are so important.

Saving Teeth, One Root at a Time

The primary purpose of root canal treatments, beyond stopping pain, is to preserve as much of your natural tooth as possible.

A root canal cleans out the inside of a tooth rather than removing it completely, so if you’re worried about cost or personal appearance, you can rest easy knowing it will look natural and be affordable.

Root canals are not unlike getting a filling. You’re Memorial / Galleria dentist drills into the tooth to reach the pulp chamber where the infected pulp is removed from the chamber down through the roots of the teeth.

Once the infected tissue is gone, the tooth is filled with gutta-percha (a rubber compound) and a standard filling, which can be made from

●     Gold or Silver Amalgam

●     Porcelain

●     Resin

Personal Appearance and Durability

The fillings used for root canal treatments can be tailored to match your teeth so they look more natural, or they can be tailored for durability and strength.

Fillings made from metal are more durable, but they will be more noticeable. These kinds of fillings are more apt for the rear teeth, as they are not as noticeable and they also must withstand greater bite pressure.

Front teeth are more suited to porcelain or resin fillings, as they look more natural, but they aren’t as durable as metal fillings. These teeth aren’t subjected to quite the same pressures as back teeth, so it’s still a promising solution.

During and After a Root Canal Treatment

Sedation dentistry is a powerful tool that allows dentists to perform a lot of work in a shorter amount of time. Whether it’s through nitrous oxide (laughing) gas or an IVsedative, sedation dentistry calms patients and keeps them from moving a lot during a procedure.

A kids dentist who uses sedation dentistry must be certified to utilize it, following many rigorous tests and knowledge courses. Regardless of who gets sedation dentistry, it is precisely balanced continuously throughout the procedure.

After the procedure is complete, it can take a few hours for the effects of sedation to wear off, but the most common side effect experienced is tiredness. Once it wears off, everything will be back to normal.

You may also want to wait until the tooth is fully recovered from the procedure before biting down on anything, however.