Root Canals

Taking care of your teeth is vital. Not only will you have a positive effect on the appearance of your teeth, but also the overall health of your teeth and gums. By not taking good care of your teeth, one of the more serious problems that can occur is tooth decay. Tooth decay can eventually affect the nerve of your tooth causing both pain and infection. Once this takes place a root canal may be needed. Many people have the misconception that having a root canal is extremely painful, but this is not the case.

When the patient’s decay goes deep into the nerve, the nerve dies and since many are fearful of root canals, the tooth goes untreated and an infection can occur causing space inside the bone. This creates stress on the nerve. The dentist must go in and treat the nerve and fill the space or the canal The procedure itself is not actually painful since numbing techniques such as anesthesia can be used.

Depending on the severity of the condition, and if the root canal needs to be done in the front or back of the teeth, it can take up to one or two visits. Front teeth are much easier to do than the back teeth which have more canals. To prevent or treat an infection in this area an antibiotic will be administered.

At the consultation, Dr. Alex Basti and Dr. Nina Basti and staff will take x-rays and run other tests to see how healthy the nerve is. Some signs a person may need a root canal are; if they have pain in one or two teeth, and pain when biting down.

Root canals can also be done on kids, whose baby teeth develop decay, and the decay reaches into the nerve. The process is less extensive than an adult root canal.

You may wonder if there is an alternative to getting a root canal. The answer would be no. If a root canal is not performed, then the tooth will need to be extracted. This would leave an empty space in the mouth causing the need for an implant or bridge, which produces more cost. Root canals are a very traditional way of fixing infected teeth. There is also misinformation that a root canal is toxic to the bone. The material used in a root canal is actually a plant extract, so there are no negative side effects and there has been no research showing complications.