How Root Canal Therapy Can Restore Your Tooth
When tooth decay or dental injuries occur, it’s important to visit your dentist as soon as possible to repair the affected tooth and avoid serious dental issues. Oftentimes, if you have a cavity, a simple tooth filling is all that’s needed to restore health and function to your smile. However, if a tooth is seriously damaged due to decay or injury, you may need a root canal.
Teeth are made up of several different tissues and minerals. There are four layers that make up a tooth’s structure, including enamel, dentin, cementum, and pulp.
Enamel, dentin, and cementum are hard tissues designed to protect the pulp, which sits at the center of the tooth. Pulp is soft and contains nerves, connective tissue, and blood vessels. When the pulp is injured or exposed to bacteria, pain and infection can result.
A root canal becomes necessary when a tooth cannot be repaired with a simple dental filling. In these cases, your dentist will remove the pulp and root(s) entirely to correct infection and/or damage.
Below are some reasons a patient might require a root canal in Alsip, IL.
- A tooth is broken, cracked, or chipped
- A patient has a deep cavity
- A patient has an infection or dental abscess
- A patient is suffering from a toothache or severe dental pain
- A patient has an infection under a dental crown
If you believe you may need root canal treatment in or near Alsip, IL, contact Oak Lawn Smiles Family Dentistry today to request an appointment.
The Procedure
A root canal procedure typically requires two or more appointments to complete. Anesthesia is administered to make the treatment as comfortable as possible. A patient should not feel any pain during a root canal.
Once a patient receives anesthesia, the dentist cleans and removes the decayed material from inside the affected tooth, just like a filling procedure. The root canal(s) are then cleaned, reshaped, and filled. The time spent on this process will depend on how many canals are present and how extensive the damage. For example, molars contain more canals than front teeth and often develop deeper cavities.
Root Canals and Crowns
Once the filling is complete, the canals are sealed off to keep bacteria from entering the treated tooth. A few weeks later, the patient will return so a permanent dental crown can be placed. This is done because a root canal involves hollowing out the natural tooth and replacing the material with composite. Therefore, a crown is required to restore function and integrity to the tooth and prevent injury.
Root Canal After Care
After a root canal, patients may feel tenderness around the procedure site. Hard and hot foods and beverages should be avoided until the tooth has fully healed. Patients may be prescribed antibiotics to prevent or fully eliminate infection, and over the counter medication for pain and swelling.
Contact Oak Lawn Smiles for Root Canals in Alsip, Illinois
If you’re struggling with tooth pain, have suffered a dental injury, or think you may have a cavity, contact us at Oak Lawn Smiles, a dentist near Alsip, for dental care you can rely on. We offer emergency root canal therapy, preventative dentistry, and a variety of other dental services to help patients maintain beautiful, healthy smiles and protect their teeth.
