If you are experiencing a very severe toothache or tooth pain, you may be in need of root canal therapy.
The phrase ‘root canal’ has long been a source of fear for many people. People think of a root canal as horrific, painful, and a thing to be avoided at all costs. It’s the monster under the bed that everyone hopes will stay hidden.
This is a rather unfortunate association and one that isn’t true at all! In fact, root canal therapy is specifically designed to heal severe tooth pain, not cause more.
Root canal treatments are based on the exact same principle as an everyday cavity filling. When a tooth infection has reached the root canal, the process to treat it has three basic steps:
All of this allows us to save most of your natural tooth, which has long-lasting benefits for your jawbone health. It also prevents the infection from spreading to any adjacent teeth.
Root canal tooth infections are known for very severe pain. This is at least partly due to the fact that the infected soft tissue is filled with blood vessels and nerves. As opposed to causing pain and complication, root canal therapy actually removes the source of your toothaches.
“Root canal” is actually the name for an area inside the tooth.
Your teeth are made of a few different parts:
The tooth crown is covered by a hardened material called enamel. That hardness protects the tooth from wear, tear, infection, and damage. Below the enamel is a chamber full of soft tissues like blood vessels and nerves. That chamber runs from the center of the crown all the way down into the roots through a set of small canals. Thus the name “root canal.”
These soft tissues—called pulp—are usually well-protected by the outer enamel. However, even the toughest of materials can be worn away or damaged, leaving the pulp susceptible to tooth infection.
In the case of a crown infection, we perform a cavity filling. Filling tooth cavities is so common that most people don’t think twice about having the procedure done. It’s safe, necessary, and relatively fast.
Sometimes, however, a tooth infection occurs in the tooth root, instead of the tooth crown. When this happens, it is similarly necessary to clean out the infection in the root.
If you are suffering from an especially debilitating toothache, you may have a tooth infection that requires root canal therapy. Don’t hesitate to contact us about your treatment options. Let us relieve your suffering and get you back to your healthiest, happiest smile!
PATIENT TESTIMONIALS
Sarah’s Story
“It has changed my confidence in many ways. I can smile more. [Dr. Joe Harris] has changed my life in more ways than I can ever tell him.”
Mary’s Story
“Before I used to hide my smile, and now I just can’t help but smile all the time!”
Nile’s Story
“It’s really brought me a lot of confidence that I didn’t even know I was lacking.”
We would love to hear from you!
Please feel free to call us at 480-428-0040 or email us using the contact form on this page!
We would love to hear from you!
Please feel free to call us at 480-428-0040 or email us using the contact form on this page!
