Root Canal
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Gentle Root Canal Treatment in Owensboro & Beaver Dam, KY
A root canal procedure is often a straightforward procedure to save your teeth and relieve dental pain. Patients often require a root canal when there is infection or inflammation in the roots of a tooth.
What Is a Root Canal?
The root canal procedure is used to repair and save a badly infected or decayed tooth. During your root canal treatment, our dentist in Owensboro and Beaver Dam, KY, Dr. Travis Wilson DMD, removes the pulp and nerve and cleans and seals the inside of your tooth. If you don’t receive this treatment, the tissue that surrounds your tooth can become infected and could form abscesses.
Signs You Need a Root Canal
From genetics to a cracked tooth from injury to problems with a previous filling to a deep cavity, there are a number of reasons why you’d need a root canal. An early sign that patients may require a future root canal is when they start to notice their teeth becoming sensitive, especially to cold and hot sensations.
Some signs you may require a root canal are:
Is a Root Canal Painful?
Since Dr. Wilson will provide you with anesthesia, you shouldn’t experience any more pain than you would with a standard dental procedure, like having a wisdom tooth removed or getting a filling. But, the area involved in a root canal is typically a bit numb or sore after the procedure, and you may even experience some mild discomfort for several days.
How Does a Root Canal Save Your Tooth?
Dr. Wilson removes the infected or inflamed pulp and then carefully shapes and cleans the inside of your root canal. He will then fill and seal the space. You will then come back to see him afterward so he can place a crown or another type of restoration on your tooth to keep it protected and restore it to full function. Following your restoration, your tooth should continue functioning like any other tooth.
What to Expect During a Root Canal Procedure?
It can take one or two visits to fully complete an endodontic treatment and it involves some steps:
Root canals have an over 95% success rate and can even last a lifetime. To ensure your root canal lasts as long as possible, you’ll want to receive a permanent restoration (crown or filling) on your tooth right away after your root canal and practice great oral hygiene.
Even if you have a root canal, your tooth can still get a cavity, so you’ll want to be sure you’re brushing and flossing the tooth thoroughly to ensure it stays healthy. Because there’s no nerve in your tooth, you won’t experience any symptoms if you do end up with a cavity. You’ll only experience pain if the tooth becomes fractured or if it ends up with another abscess around it. Dr. Wilson will want you to come in regularly for a check up to check your tooth for signs of failure or reinfection.
Dental Care for Prevention
To prevent tooth decay, infections, and gum disease, Dr. Wilson recommends:
The best option is saving your natural tooth, therefore a root canal procedure is typically the treatment of choice. There really is only one other alternative to a root canal — a tooth extraction and replacing your tooth with a bridge, implant, or denture. These are more costly procedures than a root canal and frequently require additional procedures and more time. If you do have your tooth extracted and it’s not replaced with a restoration, it can impair your chewing function and your teeth could shift.