If you’re suffering with a toothache, you should make an appointment to see your dentist. While tooth pain usually indicates a cavity, the treatment may call for more than a filling. In some cases, you may need a root canal to treat and save the tooth.
What to Expect
When you visit your dentist with tooth pain, they will examine the tooth and surrounding area for infection. Sometimes they can spot where drainage has occurred around the tooth, which indicates infection, or the tooth may look discolored. Dentists can perform x-rays on the tooth to see if it’s necessary to seek root canal therapy in Baltimore, MD. Then, if your dentist decides a root canal is the best course of treatment, he will recommend you visit an endodontist.
An endodontist specializes in the treatment of the soft tissues, or pulp, inside of teeth. If the x-rays show infection and damage to the soft tissues of the tooth, you will be given anesthesia so they can drill into the tooth to expose the pulp. As part of the root canal therapy, the pulp is removed so the endodontist can reach the roots of the tooth.
Removing Infection
The roots are then filed to remove any debris and infection, and then they are filled with a material called gutta-percha. Finally, the tooth is sealed so nothing can get into the roots and cause further damage. After the tooth has healed from root canal therapy, a crown is recommended to help preserve the rest of the tooth.
Sometimes a tooth will need to be removed if the damage is too severe, and root canal therapy will not be able to save it. However, in most cases, a root canal will help save the tooth, but the treated tooth will need to be protected to restore its full use and keep it from breaking.
