There are many reasons why a person may need to get a root canal, three of which are listed below. You will also find information on the root canal procedure so you can understand how it works.
3 Reasons For A Root Canal
One of the main reasons why you would need a root canal is feeling constant pain in your tooth. This pain would likely not go away at all. If it does go away for even a few minutes, however, the pain will always come back. This pain would be felt in different areas, such as deep down in the affected tooth, in your jaw, in your face, and in the teeth surrounding the affected tooth.
If your teeth are very sensitive to heat and cold, you may need a root canal. You may be feeling pain in the tooth when you are drinking coffee or eating warm or hot food. You may feel pain when you are eating something cold or drinking a cold drink. You may have a sharp pain, and if you continue to have this sensitivity a root canal would stop this.
Another reason is if your gums are swollen near the affected tooth. This area would also be tender when you touched it in most cases. Swelling gums is a sign of infection that can come from the pulp of the tooth.
The Root Canal Procedure
The dentist will first wipe a swab on the gum to numb it and then give you a shot to further numb you before they start doing this procedure. It will only take a few minutes for you to be completely numb. If you are feeling very anxious, there is gas the dentist may give you to help you calm down.
During the procedure, your dentist cleans out the tooth by removing all decay and bacteria that is found around the root and the pulp. The dentist will then disinfect the root and pulp thoroughly and then fill the socket in with a rubber-type substance. You will be in pain for a few hours after the procedure in most cases after the anesthesia wears off.
You will also be told to be careful when eating and to not chew on the side where you had the root canal for the first couple of days. This is to prevent you from damaging this area and to prevent you from feeling pain.
Talk with your dentist, and they can go over the reasons why you would need a root canal. The dentist can then go over the root canal procedure with you in much more detail.
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