A Root Canal Dentist Can Treat Your Infected Tooth Nerves

As an experienced root canal dentist, we can treat your infected tooth and tooth nerves. Infections can be extremely painful and caused by lingering bacteria that builds up on your teeth and gum line. Regular teeth cleanings, at least twice a year, can safely remove the bacteria so that you don't develop an infection. If it occurs, you will need an experienced dentist to treat the problem before it spreads and becomes worst.

An infected tooth nerve can be extremely painful. Typically, the infection will start in your tooth. When the soft area of your tooth, known as the dental pulp, becomes infected it can cause sensitivity and eventually pain. If it isn't caught in time, the roots running through the center of your tooth can become infected. Bacterial infections are designed to grow so as the infected roots are left in place that infection will spread throughout your root system.  This is extremely painful and places many patients in emergency dental situations. Regular teeth examinations can identify potential infections before they become this painful.

As a Root Canal Dentist, we can treat infected teeth and tooth nerves and make it possible for you to keep your natural tooth, instead of having it removed. In a root canal procedure, we start by removing the dental pulp in the center of your tooth. The area is completely cleaned, and the bacteria are removed. During the procedure, we will be able to identify if the nerves are also infected. If they are, we will remove the nerves completely. Your teeth don't need the nerves once they are fully grown.  They primarily serve to identify heat and cold but those are not critical functions.

When the dental pulp and roots are removed we will inspect the area to see if there is any lingering bacteria, fractures, or canals that need to be cleaned. Once done, we will place the filling in your tooth and may cap it off with a crown. This procedure enables you to keep your natural teeth, and the procedure itself is far less painful than living with an infection.

It is important to watch for signs of a tooth or nerve infection so that you can treat it immediately before experiencing severe pain. Here are some signs you can watch for.

• Your tooth becomes dark. If your tooth becomes darker than normal or gets a dark spot, this is typically a sign of infection.
• Sensitivity to hot or cold that won't go away. If your teeth hurt while eating ice cream or drinking hot chocolate, and the pain doesn't go away, this could be a sign of an infection. If your teeth are just naturally sensitive to hot and cold, the pain should stop once the item is removed. 
• Tooth pain when chewing.  If your teeth hurt when you eat, you could have a cavity or an infected tooth.
• Gum swelling. If your gums swell, you could have gum disease or a root infection. Also, watch for a reoccurring pimple on your gums as this is a clear sign of infection.

If you notice, any of these symptoms, call your Root Canal Dentist immediately.  It is better to undergo treatment right away than let the infection spread and the pain worsen.

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Signs That You Should Visit a Root Canal Dentist

Many patients are unsure if they need to see a root canal dentist but are concerned about the health of their teeth or are experiencing tooth pain.  It is important to keep in mind that most dentists can perform a root canal but by visiting a specialist, your level of care can improve.  As with any medical procedure, when you see an expert there is less of a chance that there will be complications, the procedure is done faster, and discomfort is minimized.  As they say, practice makes perfect, and the same holds true for dentistry.

There are some signs you can watch for that will give you a good indication that it is time to schedule an appointment.

• Tooth pain that won't go away.  It is common to have tooth pain from time to time.  In fact, if you experience pain - brush and floss your teeth.  Sometimes food is stuck in there without you realizing it and simply flossing can make the pain go away after a few minutes.  If the pain is persistent and gets worse when you bite down, this is a sign that you need to call a root canal dentist. 
• Your tooth is darkening.  Teeth become stained but when they do it is typically a yellowish color.  If your tooth gets dark all of a sudden, that is a sign of a major infection and warrants an office visit. 
• Breath that smells really bad!  Everyone can experience bad breath after eating strong smelling cheese or garlic fries – that's normal.  If, however, your breath smells terrible after brushing and flossing and continues to smell bad – that is typically a sign of an infection or a lot of bacteria in your mouth.  When you visit the dentist, we can remove that bacteria and look for signs of infection in order to remove it.
• Sensitivity to hot and cold.  If your tooth is infected, it will likely become more sensitive.  If you eat an ice cream and your tooth hurts once; that isn't a cause for concern.  Teeth, like any area of the body, can be sensitive from time to time.  If, however, this happens on a regular basis with hot, cold or both, you should schedule an appointment to have your teeth examined. 

A root canal dentist can identify any infected teeth and remove the infection. This is important because when a root canal is completed correctly, it makes it possible for your natural tooth to be saved instead of needing to be pulled.  In this scenario, the dental pulp (soft center of the tooth) is what becomes infected.  The dentist removes this area of the tooth and will often remove the roots as well.  Once your adult teeth are in place, the roots are no longer necessary.  Removing them won't impact the long-term functionality of your tooth but if they are infected, they must be removed in order to prevent the infection from spreading into your jaw.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, schedule a dental exam right away.

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How a Root Canal Dentist Performs the Procedure

As a root canal dentist, we can save your infected tooth.  The term root canal, contrary to popular belief, does not refer exclusively to the surgery that so many patients have come to associate with dentistry. The discomfort that an infected root can cause, and the frequency with which many dentists perform the procedure has made a root canal surgery the most commonly perform procedure in America. The root canal is actually the area that houses the root, on the inside of the tooth itself. The pulp and pulp canal is also found in the root canal, and is the soft tissue that surrounds the root. When either the root of the tooth or the dental pulp becomes infected due to a bacteria, decay or some kind of trauma, it can cause extreme discomfort for the patient. This requires the intervention of a dentist, who will then perform a surgery that has come to be known as a “root canal” surgery. 

A root canal is the process of removing the infected root, cleaning out all the pulp, and filling the cavity to make sure it cannot be re-infected. A root canal typically starts with an x-ray which will tell us what the shape of the tooth’s root is and will allow us to identify if there is an infection that needs to be treated. If we find that there is an infection, chances are that you will be put on a course of antibiotics to kill it before starting the process of the root canal, or in some cases you will start the antibiotics immediately afterwards. Before removing the infected area, we will give you a local anesthesia so that you are as comfortable as possible and feel as little as possible. Our goal is to ensure your comfort and this is the best way to do so.

As a root canal dentist, we will place a rubber dam around the tooth to keep it free of saliva and completely dry. A dam is basically a rubber sheet that is placed over the tooth. Next, a small access hole will be drilled into the tooth, giving us access to the root and the pulp. We will then use dental files, in increasing diameter, to work down the hole and scrape away any infected pulp left along the sides. Simultaneously we will flush away debris with water or sodium hypochlorite. After the tooth is cleaned to our satisfaction, we will seal it and prepare it for any additional restorations that may be required. Sometimes, depending on the state of the root canal, we may place medication inside of the canal and wait for a couple of days before sealing up the tooth. 

Finally, a sealer paste and a rubber compound, called Gutta Percha is placed into the cavity. The exterior hole, which was made to give the dentist access to the root canal, is filled with a regular filling. Often, as a root canal dentist, we will give you an additional course of antibiotics to make sure that no other infections affect the tooth while it is healing.