Root canal treatment enables dentists to save severely damaged, decayed, or infected teeth. The procedure is typically recommended when a tooth has a compromised pulp chamber. The pulp chamber is the innermost layer of a tooth, and it contains blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissues. Tooth decay and damage can leave this part of a tooth exposed to bacteria and other irritants in the mouth, leading to excruciating toothaches and increasing the risk of infection.
Root canal treatment involves removing the soft tissues in the pulp chamber and resealing the area. The method has a high success rate, and it is not a painful treatment despite many people believing otherwise.
Let us take a close look at a few of the pros and cons of root canal therapy.
Root canal therapy can save severely damaged or infected teeth, enabling patients to keep their natural teeth. Saving a patient’s natural tooth helps prevent the bone tissue loss that often occurs when a tooth is lost. The tooth’s root gets to continue stimulating the patient’s jaw, keeping their jawbone healthy.
Teeth that have been treated with root canal therapy can end up weaker than they originally were. The technique involves drilling a hole into the tooth, which weakens its structure. Dentists often recommend putting crowns on teeth that have been treated with root canal therapy, to protect them from bite forces and restore their appearance and function.
A compromised pulp chamber typically leads to painful toothaches. The pain often does not respond to over-the-counter toothache products, and if it does fade, it does not stay away for long. The intensity of the pain can be so severe that it prevents people from focusing on tasks or getting any sleep at night.
These toothaches can be painful enough to even get people with dental phobias to see a dentist. Fortunately, the pain is typically gone by the time that the root canal procedure is over.
The root canal procedure can typically be performed during a single visit, but dentists sometimes choose to break it up into multiple treatments. It often comes down to how badly infected the tooth is. Dentists sometimes prefer to apply medication to the tooth twice before sealing it back up. Patients might also need multiple appointments if the dentist plans to cover the treated tooth with a crown.
People who choose to save their damaged teeth with root canals over extractions are less likely to develop alignment issues or gaps forming between their teeth. Extracting a tooth can lead to the remaining teeth moving out of their original positions as they try to close the gap.
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