No one likes to hear bad news from the dentist, but sometimes that bad news helps to prevent worse news, root canals or even tooth loss. When a dentist needs to perform a root canal on a patient, a cavity, has progressed passed the first and second layers of the tooth or the enamel and the dentin. The damage and infection has progressed to the pulp of the tooth, then requiring an endodontic treatment. Endodontic treatment concerns the dental pulp or the soft center tissue which holds the nerves and blood vessels of individual teeth. Such treatments require drilling and filling the tooth beyond the enamel. The process requires a local injected anesthesia, numbing the patient and allowing a dentist to save a patient’s the original shell of the tooth – preserving a more natural smile. For information from the American Dental Association regarding a root canal and endodontic treatment, read more by clicking HERE.
The teeth and mouth act as a protective gateway to the rest of the body, preventing excess bacteria to excess the vital organs. When that gateway is damaged or not functioning to its full extent, the body runs other risks like increased heart problems and increase in the likelihood of dementia. Symptoms of a root canal resemble tooth discoloration, gum infection or inflamed areas, tooth sensitivity, swelling and sensitivity of the gum line surround the infected tooth, and lesions near the tooth where pus leaks to relieve the area of infection. Therefore, a root canal should be treated at the earliest sign of irritation.
To be sure, dentists will take x-rays in the mouth, looking for signs of dark spots embedded into the channel of the tooth. In contrast, a cavity on film appears only as a small dark spot on the surface of the enamel rather than beyond the surface.