Root Canal Therapy Can Save Your Tooth

When dealing with tooth decay, it is important to treat it early to stop it from progressing into something serious. Without treatment, tooth decay can deepen within a tooth to the point where you may need to extract the tooth completely. At earlier stages of tooth decay, treatment can stop the decay before it reaches the point of a necessary extraction. Before the decay reaches the inner pulp, the tooth can be treated with a filling to stop the decay. Once decay has reached the inner pulp of the tooth, root canal therapy may be necessary to save the tooth. 

What To Expect?

Root canal therapy is often less painful than the toothache that it is relieving. It is also referred to as a root canal or endodontic treatment. Before root canal therapy, your dentist will provide local anesthesia to the problematic tooth and the areas surrounding it. Using small tools, your dentist access the inner pulp of your tooth. Your dentist will carefully remove any bacteria, infected areas, and damaged parts of the tooth. The tooth will be completely disinfected. The inner tissues may be replaced and a crown will likely be placed atop the tooth. A crown, such as a zirconia crown, restores the tooth and protects it from future damage.

Saving Your Tooth

Your dentist’s top priority is always to keep your natural teeth in your mouth whenever possible. Root canal therapy may also be necessary to treat teeth damaged by accident or injury, in addition to treating severe tooth decay. Whenever the inner pulp and nerves of a tooth have been exposed, endodontic treatment is important to stop the spread of bacteria. Infection of the inner pulp can lead to an abscess, which can be dangerous if spread to other parts of the body. Once an abscess spreads too deeply, the tooth may need to be extraction for your protection and to stop the pain. Root canal therapy stops the decay before it can cause an extraction-causing infection.

Save an infected or damaged tooth with root canal therapy.

Root canal therapy can be an important step in saving your tooth from extraction. Schedule a consultation at Lone Star Dental Care in Frisco, TX by calling 972-335-7100.