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What’s a Root Canal Procedure?
Inside each tooth is a soft mass that contains blood vessels and nerves. When the mass becomes injured or exposed, whether due to trauma, infection, or disease, it can cause excruciating pain. If left untreated, you’ll lose the function of the tooth and possibly cause damage to the area surrounding the tooth. When the tooth becomes damaged, a root canal treatment can alleviate your pain and restore functionality to your tooth. If you’re experiencing severe pain with one or more of your teeth, call our Shelby Township office today to schedule an appointment.
How Do You Know If a Root Canal Procedure Is Necessary?
Root canals aren’t necessary for normal tooth maintenance, they’re used solely to alleviate the pain that can occur from a severely damaged tooth and to restore function to the tooth and surrounding area. If you’re experiencing any of the following symptoms, you may need this surgery:
- Discolored teeth that may or may not be painful
- Deep cavities, especially around painful or discolored teeth
- Inflammation in the area of a particular tooth, especially if it’s associated with pain
- Moderate to excruciating pain
- Nighttime tooth pain, especially if it interrupts your sleep
- Heat or cold sensitivity
- Pain when you chew or bite down
With good oral hygiene and proper care of your teeth, you may never need a root canal procedure. If you find you do need a root canal surgery, call our Shelby Township office for an appointment.
Where Do You Get Root Canals?
Most general dentists can perform standard root canals. If you require an advanced procedure or have a complicated condition with several roots involved, we may refer you to an outside specialist called an endodontist. An endodontist has received extra training in the care of the interior of teeth and can help remedy your damaged root canal. However, a root canal dentist in our Shelby Township office can perform a standard procedure, so call our office if you need one.
What’s the Procedure for Getting Root Canals?
When you come to our office for this procedure, you can expect a process similar to the following. Although it may vary slightly according to your unique needs, the following is the general procedure that we have for a dental root canal.
- First, your dentist will numb the general area of the tooth so that you won’t feel any pain.
- Next, we’ll place a small, temporary shield around the affected tooth so that it’s isolated and kept clean.
- Your dentist will then make a small hole in the crown of the tooth so that we can access the damaged pulp.
- We’ll remove the damaged pulp, clean the area, and then shape the canals.
- We’ll rinse and disinfect the canals.
- We’ll fill the canals with gutta-percha and then we’ll seal them.
- The last step is to install a root canal crown so that your tooth doesn’t crack.
You may experience some minor discomfort for a day or two after the procedure, but your tooth and the surrounding area should be fully functional and free from pain thereafter. If you need to schedule a procedure or have additional questions, call our Shelby Township office and we’ll be happy to help you.
How Much Do Root Canals Cost?
The cost of your procedure will be unique to you and will be influenced by several factors. The number and type of teeth involved, the degree of work that you need, whether you need a specialist, and your insurance coverage will all contribute to your final root canal cost. During your initial evaluation, we’ll provide you with an estimate of the work you need and its associated costs so that you’ll know what to expect. If you need root canal surgery but can’t afford it, let us know and we’ll work with you. Don’t forego the treatment that you need because of budgetary limitations. Your good oral health is vital to your good physical health, so call us today for an appointment.
Which Type of Procedure Do I Need?
Your dentist will advise you of the type of procedure you need, but usually, most of our patients need a standard procedure. If you need to have a previous surgery redone, then you may need an apicoectomy, which removes the tip of a tooth root, or a pediatric pulpotomy, which removes damaged pulp but the nerve is unaffected. However, your dentist will determine the procedure you need when you come to our office for your initial exam.
Are Root Canals Painful?
Although root canals have the reputation of being exceedingly painful, it’s an undeserved reputation. We’ll numb the area before we commence the procedure and we’ll monitor your comfort level throughout your procedure so that we maintain your optimum comfort. We have a reputation for always striving to provide our patients with the best high-quality, affordable dental work that we can. You can be assured you’ll receive customer-focused care when you come to our office for a root canal in Shelby Township.
Don’t suffer any longer, if you need a dental root canal treatment, call Gentle Dental of Shelby Township at (248) 721-4086 to schedule an appointment. We can alleviate your pain and restore the use of your tooth, so call us today. We look forward to working with you to get your dental health back on track.
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