If there is one restorative dental service that is common in the U.S. and, indeed, the world, it is root canal treatment. As a matter of fact, root canal treatments are often classified as emergency dental care services because most people don’t realize that they need an endodontist nearby until they start experiencing severe pain and sensitivity.
Endodontic and root canal treatments become an absolutely necessary procedure when the soft tissue within your tooth, otherwise called the pulp, is infected and inflamed as a result of tooth infection. The pulp of your tooth may become infected if there is a chip, crack, or deep cavity present.
Traumatized teeth may also become infected, leading to tooth decay and the need for an endodontic specialist or, in the case of your children, a pediatric endodontist. At Discover Dental, you will be able to avoid emergency tooth extractions when you meet with our experienced root canal specialists and dental professionals.
In this post, you will get to know how root canal treatment at Discover Dental will improve your overall dental health. But first, we start by briefly explaining what root canal treatment is all about, how you can detect early that you need emergency root canal therapy and the expectations of root canal procedures.
What Is Emergency Root Canal Near Me?
The easiest thing for many people facing the prospect of losing a tooth with severe trauma is to undergo a surgical tooth extraction. However, your life doesn’t have to be so dramatic, as you can actually save yourself from a simple tooth extraction and the tooth extraction cost that come with it when you meet up with a root canal specialist.
If your tooth is badly damaged as a result of an infection due to tooth decay, a crack, chip, or trauma, you can relieve the inflammation, pain, and discomfort that comes with such severe damage to your tooth when you undergo a root canal treatment.
If your tooth decay is not treated on time, it could lead to a number of major dental issues that may require oral and maxillofacial surgery. Some of these oral problems include abscesses, tooth loss, and bone loss. With root canal treatment, you will be able to save your tooth and pocket from tooth extraction and tooth extraction cost, respectively.
During this oral surgery, a dental practitioner will carefully extract the infected or severely damaged tooth pulp. This will be followed by a thorough cleaning of the inside of your affected tooth before reshaping it and then filling out the inside with non-toxic, safe tooth cement or any other American Dental Association (ADA) approved tooth filling.
How Do You Know If You Need A Root Canal Specialist?
The first question you need to ask yourself before you make out time to visit our Houston dental office is whether or not you actually need root canal specialized care. Typically, you would be a perfect candidate for root canal treatment if you experience tooth sensitivity and/or severe tooth pain. This sensitivity may be experienced whenever you consume either cold or hot drinks.
In addition to pain and sensitivity, you will know that you need root canal treatment if your gums are swollen, and tender or you notice lumps around your gums. If you also have a considerable cavity and notice distinct discoloration, you may need a root canal procedure.
However, in order to know for certain if you need root canal treatment or not, you need to meet a dental practitioner. At our Houston dental office, you will be subjected to a comprehensive oral examination by an endodontist.
The oral examination will consist of x-rays which will give our emergency dentist a clearly picture and diagnosis of what your dental issues are. X-rays will also reveal any underlying dental problems that were previously not diagnosed.
Some of the tell-tale signs that you need root canal treatment are:
- Tooth sensitivity, particularly to cold or hot temperatures still lingers on after the causative factor, like a cold or hot beverage respectively, is no longer present in your mouth
- Persistent toothache and pain that permeates to your ear, neck, and/or jaw area
- Severe pain and tenderness particularly when chewing
- Tooth discoloration
- Inflammation and tenderness of the gums surrounding teeth
What Does the Root Canal Treatment Entail?
In this restorative surgical procedure, our emergency dentist will extract the affected nerve tissue from the root canal of the troubled tooth after administering local anesthetic. Our oral surgeon will extract damaged nerve tissue before cleaning out and then disinfecting the root canal.
Once the root canal has been thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, the primary dentist will have the root canal filled and sealed. The success rate of root canals at our Houston dental office is quite high, and you can be sure that the surgical procedure is guaranteed to extend the natural life of your teeth.
Pre-procedural Steps for Your Root Canals at Our Houston Dental Office
Before your scheduled root canal treatment at our dental office, it is important to know the dos and don’ts in preparation for the surgical procedure. To this end, here are a few things you need to take to heart;
- Hard or Chewy Foods: You need to steer clear of chewy and/or hard foods. It is better to maintain a diet consisting of soft foods within a few days leading to your scheduled root canal treatment.
- Brushing and Flossing: While regular oral hygiene consisting of brushing and flossing is great for the short and long-term health of your teeth, you should be wary of rigorous brushing and flossing of your teeth. If you brush or floss your teeth too rigorously, you could greatly irritate the gums surrounding your teeth.
- Blood Thinners: You should avoid taking blood thinning medications before your scheduled root canal therapy. If you are on blood thinning prescription medication, then you should consult your physician before you stop using them to know if it would be safe to do so before your root canal treatment.
- Meals and Drinks: You need to avoid meals and drinks at least a couple of hours prior to your scheduled root canals.
- Lifestyle Choices: You should also avoid smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, and/or using one recreational drug or another before your surgical procedure.
It is also worth noting that not all root canals are done in the same length of time. The duration of your root canal therapy will depend on a number of factors, like the severity and complication of your tooth damage. After your procedure, you need to maintain a good dental routine consisting of regular checkups, while your brushing and flossing should be done at least twice daily.
Root Canal Treatment Procedure by a Root Canal Specialist
With root canal therapy, our root canal specialist will numb the affected tooth as well as the surrounding oral area with the use of general anesthesia injection to the region. Next, the dentist will place a rubber dam – which is a small rubber sheet – around your affected tooth. This rubber dam will keep the region dry and basically devoid of saliva.
After this, our dentist will extract the pulp and nerve tissue through an opening created in the infected tooth. The dentist will then clean out the tooth before sealing the opening with gutta-percha, a non-toxic, safe material. To round up the procedure, the root canal specialist will place a crown or filling over the treated tooth.
Post-operational Root Canals Care and Recovery
After a successful root canal surgery, you need to take steps to care for your treated tooth and promote quick healing. It is not uncommon for patients to experience some tooth sensitivity, ache, discomfort, and even slight pain after the procedure, and this may persist for a few days after the treatment.
Pain management is important at this stage, and to reduce tooth pain, our oral surgeons will prescribe pain medications. While you recover from your root canal therapy, you need to avoid eating chewy, sticky, and/or hard foods.
Follow-up dental checkups are also important, so make sure you meet up with our dentists on your scheduled follow-up dental checkups. In addition to root canal treatment, you may be recommended a crown that will be placed over the affected tooth to protect it from damage and further extend the life of your tooth.
The time it takes for you to fully heal from your root canals would typically depend on your overall state of health and the severity of the infected pulp. You should feel a bit of discomfort that lasts for up to a week after your treatment, while full recovery may be expected after a few weeks of root canal therapy.
During your recovery, you should ensure that you practice proper dental hygiene, in addition to following all the post-operative instructions laid down by our dentist. Don’t forget to meet your follow-up appointments at our Houston dental office.
Benefits of Root Canals at Discover Dental
- No need for tooth extraction and the costs associated with it
- No more inflammation around the treated tooth
- No more discomfort, ache, and/or pain in the treated tooth
- Improved biting and chewing
- Improved aesthetics with filling or crown on the treated tooth
FAQs About Root Canal Treatment
How common are root canals in the U.S?
It is estimated that in the U.S. alone, there are more than 15 million root canals successfully performed on an annual basis.
Is root canal treatment safe?
Yes. Root canal treatment is safe for patients and involves the use of local anesthetic to numb the affected tooth as well as the surrounding area before the dentist removes the infected nerve tissue and pulp. The dentist then cleans and disinfects the root canal before capping it with a crown or filling after filling out the space created by removing the pulp with gutta-percha.
Is root canal therapy painful?
The procedure itself is not painful because your dentist will inject the site of the operation with a general anesthetic that numbs the area during treatment. However, you may feel some discomfort after the operation and the anesthesia wears out.
Discover Dental Your Best Houston Dental Office for Root Canals
Do not wait till your infected tooth is so severely damaged that you require a tooth extraction. You can now get the best root canal treatment from our Houston dental office. Our team of highly trained dental professionals will meet with you, examine your tooth, and schedule the earliest possible date for root canal therapy.
We will see you through every step of the way, from your first appointment right up to your follow-up visits. You can get started today by booking an appointment online or giving us a call on 713-997-9390 if you prefer.
