When a tooth develops a cavity, our team will provide relief and with a lifelike composite resin filling. But what if a tooth becomes infected? To stop discomfort and preserve the tooth, we could conduct an endodontic treatment. In today’s blog, your Brighton, MA, dentist talks about saving smiles with a safe and gentle root canal procedure.
The Symptoms and Causes of Infected Teeth
When a tooth becomes infected, this could cause painful symptoms like tooth sensitivity when you eat or drink, toothaches, pain when you bite down or chew, or swelling near the tooth. Pain in the face and jaw could arise, along with earaches and a discharge from the tooth. When one or more of these potential symptoms arise, you need to see our team for a diagnosis. Infection occurs when harmful oral bacteria reach the pulp, your tooth’s nerve center. This could happen due to an untreated cavity or as a result of an injury to the tooth.
Starting Your Endodontic Treatment
To begin, our team will talk to you about your symptoms or any recent injuries to the teeth. We then examine the tooth with digital x-rays, so we can pinpoint the position of the infection and assess the severity. Our team will then administer a local numbing agent to the tooth so you are comfortable when we start treatment. For many, the root canal procedure is comparable to receiving a simple dental filling.
Root Canal Therapy
When your tooth is prepared and ready, we will open the tooth so we can reach the interior tissues and remove them completely. Our team then cleans the interior of the tooth and the root canals. Our team will next add a special restorative filling known as gutta percha. The last step is to cap the tooth with a dental crown. The crown will be custom-made to ensure it looks natural and provides a balanced bite. This will be able to handle daily bite forces and pressures, and can color match it to blend with your smile. To lower your risk of future cavities and infections, be sure you brush and floss daily, cut back on the sugar in your diet, and see our team for a checkup and cleaning every six months.
If you have any questions about root canal therapy, then contact our team today to learn more. We want to help you enjoy whole and healthy smiles!
Talk to Brighton Family Dental About Restorative and General Dentistry
We would like to help you smile with confidence and enjoy a full smile with a root canal procedure. Learn more about stopping dental infections by giving us a call at Brighton Family Dental Group in Brighton, MA, today at (617) 562-5210.
