If you have a toothache, this is certainly not something you want to ignore. Not only will you needlessly suffer in pain but also you could risk losing a tooth. Of course, our dental team here at Baltimore Uptown Dentists understands that hearing that you need a root canal can often be upsetting and nerve-wracking. Luckily, our goal is to make your dental procedure as easy and as painless as possible.
While a toothache can also be indicative of a cavity there are other times in which the throbbing, aching sensation that you are experiencing is a sign that the dental pulp of the tooth is infected or inflamed. This fleshy structure hidden under the hard enamel and dentin layers of the tooth is made up of blood vessels and nerves. Since there are nerves present, this explains why you experience a toothache when the pulp is infected.
Of course, root canal treatment has a bad reputation because there are a lot of unfortunate myths surrounding it. Our dentist team is here to dispel these myths to make sure that you understand what truly goes into this procedure and why it’s performed.
First and foremost, an infected or inflamed dental pulp cannot stay; it must be removed. If the pulp remains, the infection will continue to spread throughout the tooth, causing irreparable damage and requiring us to extract the tooth and replace it. To prevent a tooth extraction, our dentists will recommend getting root canal therapy.
We know how frustrating and uncomfortable a toothache can be, so you’ll be happy to hear that this simple and commonly performed procedure will immediately relieve that pain. Before the procedure even begins, we will gently administer local anesthesia to the area, which will numb the gums around it to prevent you from experiencing any discomfort during the course of the root canal. Remember, the tooth itself doesn’t have feeling so we can easily drill through the outer layers of the tooth to uncover the infected pulp.
From there, we will carefully extract the pulp and then irrigate the inside of the tooth and canals to remove bacteria. Once the tooth is completely disinfected and free of bacteria, the root canals and inside of the tooth will be sealed up to prevent future infections. Even once the tooth has been treated and sealed, it isn’t quite as strong as it was before the infection. To ensure that the tooth remains strong and fully functional, we may also place a permanent dental crown over the tooth.
Want more information root canal services at K. Michael Murphy and Associates, LLC? Call our Baltimore, MD office at (410) 235-1233 to learn more
