Should You Get a Root Canal?

Despite the many efforts to sensitize people on the importance of oral health, still, the world suffers. At the Dental Co. Of Leesburg, one of the main oral issues at hand concerns dental decay. Adults and children alike are constantly falling victims of dental decay. While tooth decay is not the only reason teeth are damaged, it is the major reason. One of the reasons why dentists in ​Leesburg, VA insist on frequent dental visits is to curb the progression of dental decay. If you are lucky to catch it earlier, the decay may not completely deteriorate the health of your tooth.

What is Root Canal?

It features the internal structure of the tooth. A tooth is made up of several layers, starting from the ​tooth root. The different layers help keep the tooth strong and alive.

However, tooth decay comes in to compromise the strength of a tooth. At first, the decay process only manifests as a cavity that damaged the enamel. In time, the damage worsens so that the layers underneath also succumbs to the damage. When the damage gets to the central part of the tooth, that is when you require ​root canal treatment.

More About Root Canal Treatment

The treatment involves working in the inside of your tooth, as opposed to fixing the exterior parts only. A ​root canal dentist will work to remove the contents of the internal parts of your tooth.

Technically, the central part of a tooth houses the pulp chamber. This chamber contains blood vessels, nerve endings, and other soft tissues. It is responsible for keeping the tooth alive through the development stages. Once a tooth is fully mature, it does not require the pulp to stay alive. The tooth can still survive as long as it is still rooted in the jawbone. This treatment, therefore, focuses on removing the damaged contents of the pulp, to save the tooth.

How Does the Process Work?

The endodontic procedure requires keenness to detail, given that the endodontist will be working in the internal sector of your tooth. The procedure happens in some of the following steps:

Sedation – the damage in your tooth is already enough reason to cause you pain. Therefore, local anesthesia is necessary to numb your mouth during the procedure and help you stay relaxed.

• Drilling – an access hole has to be drilled in your tooth to get to the central region.
• Cleaning – the endodontist cleans out your tooth. This step helps get rid of all the infections and bacteria on your tooth.
• Removal of pulp contents – the nerves, blood vessels, and other soft tissues are extracted from your tooth using a special tool.
• Filling – the space created in your tooth has to be filled to help maintain the structure of your tooth.
• Sealing – the exterior of your tooth is then sealed to prevent re-entry of bacteria into the tooth. This can be done using dental fillings, and/or dental crowns.

Who Should Get the Treatment?

Endodontics is not a treatment for everyone. A dentist has to thoroughly examine the health of your damaged tooth before deeming you fit for the procedure. Some reasons that could determine this include:

• Structure of your tooth – how much of it has been damaged? Can it be saved?
• The severity of the damage – sometimes extraction may be better than endodontics.
• Preferences – would you prefer to go through the process or not? Would you rather pursue a more cosmetic approach?
• Growth of the tooth – as mentioned earlier, the procedure is deemed fit for mature teeth. If your tooth still requires the pulp for development, then this treatment may not serve you right.

Overall, endodontics is a treatment offered mostly to adults. Many come in with different requirements, and it is up to the dentist in charge to come up with the best-fitting treatment plan. Other than dental decay, you can require endodontics following a traumatic injury. An impact on your face and teeth can damage your nerves. Sometimes, even the external structure of a tooth may not be damaged, but the nerves are. The only way to find out whether you cut it for the treatment is to talk to your dentist about it.