Root Canal: Causes, Treatment, Recovery, and Post-Surgery Care

A root canal is a treatment procedure for infected or badly decayed teeth. During the procedure, your dentist removes pulp, nerve, and cleans the inside. He or she will later seal the hole after cleaning. Your tooth’s root nerve is only essential for sensation, and therefore when removed, it does not affect the functions of your tooth.

Why Does Pulp Need Removal?

Once your root nerve and pulp are infected, they become damaged and start breaking down. When pulp breaks down, it aids the multiplication of bacteria within the pulp chamber. Bacteria and other decayed debris can cause a gum infection or abscesses. Other than an abscess, the root canal infection can cause:

• A swelling that may spread to your face and neck
• Drainage problem that extends outside to the mouth
• Bone damage around the root

The several causes of nerve damage are deep tooth decay, repeated dental procedures, large fillings, or facial trauma.

Root Canal Treatment in Spring, TX

Are you a root canal treatment candidate? A dentist in Spring, TX, will recommend more than one visit for a successful root canal treatment. A regular dentist or an endodontist can perform the procedure. The choice of who will perform the root canal depends on the degree of complications.

The first step involves examinations such as x-rays, to check the shape of the root canal and any signs of surrounding bone damage.

Your dentist will then numb the area using local anesthesia. The nerve is already dead, but the dentist or endodontist will still use anesthesia to make the patient relaxed. Next, the dentist will place a rubber dam around the tooth to keep it free of saliva.

The dentist will then drill an access hole through the enamel, and proceed to remove bacterial deposits, pulp, and decayed nerve tissue through the access hole. Dentists use root canal files to complete the cleaning process. Your dentist will place root canal files of different diameters through the access hole and scrub the sides of the root canal.

After scraping the sides of the root canal, your dentist will periodically flush the root canal using sodium hypochlorite and water. The dentist might seal the access hole immediately or wait a week if there was a severe infection. In case of an infection, the dentist will put medications into the root canal and seal it after a week.

During the next appointment, your dentist or endodontist uses gutta-percha sealant to fill the interior of the affected tooth. To seal the exterior access hole, he or she will use a dental filling. The final step of the procedure is making any further restorations since the tooth can be badly decayed.

Is a root canal procedure painful? The answer is yes. It is relatively painful compared to some less invasive procedures. However, your dentist will use local anesthesia to prevent you from feeling pain or discomfort.

Recovery and Care

For the first days after a root canal treatment, you are likely to experience pain due to tissue inflammation. You can control the pain using over-the-counter pain relievers such as Advil and Motrin. Most patients can return to their daily activities a day after the treatment.

To ensure full recovery of your root canal, minimize chewing on with the tooth under repair. Also, ensure that you follow good oral hygiene practices. These practices include brushing twice daily, flossing at least once daily. Also, visit your dentist regularly to check how the root canal is progressing.

Root Canal Complications

Despite your dentist’s efforts to clean and seal a root canal, your tooth might develop complications. Some of the reasons for complications include:

• More root canals that were not anticipated
• Undetected cracks on your tooth’s root
• Inadequate dental restorations that allow microbes to invade your root canal
• Faults in dental sealants allowing microbes to recontaminate the inner aspects of your tooth

Finding a Dentist

Are you a resident of Spring, TX 77379, and need a root canal treatment? Dr. Paul Graf DDS has years of experience carrying out the procedures. Therefore, you can contact his dental clinic or visit him for treatment. If you are not a resident and need a dentist, you can search for “root canal treatment near me,” and Google will provide with addresses of the nearest dental clinics.