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If you're noticing pain, especially severe pain, when you try to chew with or apply pressure to one of your teeth, and/or the tooth is sensitive to very hot or very cold items, these are signs that you might be dealing with a root canal infection, in which the pulp area of your tooth is affected. Among the other signs that you should also look out for are tender gums and tooth discoloration. But while you may be understandably anxious about having the problem treated, our root canal dentist in Batavia wants you to know that today’s' methods and equipment are highly advanced. That means that your root canal can be done with little to no pain at all. So while it may not be something that you look forward to, it's helpful to see root canal as an end to the pain, not the start of it.
The procedure begins with local anesthesia to numb you. If you're still fearful or stressed about your root canal, we also offer nitrous oxide sedation to calm you and allow the most comfortable circumstances for you as the work is being done. Root canal is done by drilling from the top of the tooth in order to gain access to the pulp area. The injured pulp and nerve are removed as is any debris. The area is then cleaned thoroughly and sealed by our root canal dentist in Batavia. Since root canals generally require more than one session, you will have a temporary crown placed on the top of the tooth to protect it in between appointments. When your root canal is completed, you will then need to have an impression taken so that a permanent crown can be crafted and fitted to the top of the tooth.
Besides being an end to the pain you were feeling, root canal is the best, and often final, chance to save your natural tooth. The only other option is typically to have it removed, and that makes you susceptible to shifting teeth, a misaligned bite, discomfort, and the cosmetic drawback of an empty space where a tooth used to be. But thanks to our root canal dentist in Batavia, you can avoid those complications.
By Linda Ricks, DDS, MS, PC
November 23, 2015
