Root Canal Treatment Provides Immediate Pain Relief and Preserves Natural Teeth
Most decay occurs outside the tooth in the form of cavities. However, sometimes decay can infiltrate the innermost part of the tooth—the pulp chamber—causing tooth infection. Dental infection is excruciating and can put your entire tooth in danger.
Vital Dental offers root canal treatment in Sarasota, Florida, to save infected and damaged teeth from extraction. Unlike what you have heard or read about, modern root canals are safe and painless. Dr. Mitul Patel and the team use modern pain management techniques and light touch methods to ensure you receive expert endodontic care.
What are the warning signs of a root canal?
Your tooth is more than the visible outer enamel. Inside your tooth lies the dental pulp, which contains living tissues like nerves, blood vessels, and other connective tissues. When the enamel is breached by a deep cavity, crack, or faulty dental work, harmful bacteria can reach the pulp chamber. Once the tooth internals are infected, you’ll experience several unpleasant symptoms.
Some include:
- Excruciating toothaches, especially when biting
- Tooth sensitivity to cold and hot foods
- Swelling on the gums and face
- Darkening of the tooth as the blood supply is cut off
- A pimple-like swelling on your gums
Sometimes, you may need a root canal without experiencing the above symptoms. That’s why it’s important to visit your dentist regularly for check-ups. With digital radiographs and other imaging tools, we can spot hidden issues like infected teeth even before they cause symptoms.
What does the root canal treatment involve?
A root canal removes infection from your tooth and restores it with biocompatible materials. The procedure starts by using digital x-rays to examine your tooth’s damage. If it’s viable for a root canal, the doctor anesthetizes your gums and isolates your tooth with a dental dam to keep it dry and contamination-free.
The next step is for the dentist to create an access hole in your tooth and use it to flush out the infected pulp tissue. Then, the tooth will be carefully cleaned and sanitized all the way to the root canals to remove all traces of unwanted bacteria. After that, the tooth will be filled with a rubber-like material called gutta-percha to seal out future bacteria invasions.
The final step is to close the access hole with a tooth filling. However, severely weakened teeth are secured with dental crowns, making your tooth functional and indistinguishable from the rest.
What should I expect after a root canal?
Immediately after treatment, you’ll experience mild pain and swelling after the anesthesia fades away. We’ll give post-op instructions to ensure you heal seamlessly after a root canal. Typically, we’ll provide you with medications to manage pain and infections. We’ll also give you home remedies for a smooth recovery.
Once your tooth heals, you can chew, speak, and smile without pain. Your treated tooth looks and functions like other teeth, and with proper care, it can last a lifetime.
Do you need root canal treatment?
Root canal therapy gives patients almost instant pain relief, and any lingering discomfort can be managed with over-the-counter pain medication. If you have tooth pain and believe you need a root canal, please call (941) 371-2022 to book an appointment with Vital Dental.
Root canal therapy is a very common procedure. It has a reputation of being undesirable and painful. But when done properly it is actually painless. Every tooth in your mouth is composed of a crown and a root. When a cavity or bacteria penetrates the tooth, the root and its nerves become irritated. As a result, the bacteria within the pulp cavity needs to be removed and cleaned in order to restore the tooth to its healthy state. Following the procedure, the tooth is fragile and consequently is restored with the natural crown for a lifetime of durability. Root canals have a success rate of 95% or greater. Most root canal are diagnosed by patients’ sensitivities to a specific tooth. Be sure to consult your dentist any symptoms or discomfort occur.
Dr. Mitul Patel
Dr. Mitul Patel, D.M.D., is a dedicated dentist at Vital Dental Sarasota, known for his caring and gentle approach. With over 500 hours of continuing education, Dr. Patel's commitment to staying abreast of the latest dental advancements ensures his patients receive top-notch care. His meticulous attention to detail, aided by high magnification loupes, guarantees precision in every procedure. Dr. Patel's compassionate nature and expert knowledge make him a trusted figure in the dental community, providing an exceptional and reassuring experience for all his patients.
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