Glendale Dentist Explains Dental Structure and Root Canal Therapy

Written by Dr. McKay on Jul 28, 2014

At Glendale Dental, we know that root canal therapy can be intimidating. Unfortunately, many patients put off necessary dental treatment—including root canal therapy—because they imagine it’ll be a nightmare. Culturally, root canals are probably the most feared dental procedure, but this fear is unfounded, because current root canal therapy is generally as painless as a regular filling.

Avoiding root canal therapy puts your entire smile and your oral health at risk. As you learn more about the procedure, you’ll find that it is nothing to be afraid of, and that it can be vital to preserving your smile. In this article, I’m going to review root canal therapy and talk about some ways that you can proactively identify dental problems and treat them quickly.

Damaged teeth that require root canal therapy do not always present with clear and consistent symptoms. It’s important to see a dental professional regularly to identify any dental problems. Here are some possible signs and symptoms for which you can be on the lookout. If you notice any of these problems or any dramatic changes in the state of your teeth or gums, notify your dentist.

·         Significant tooth pain

·         Sensitive enamel—especially pain caused by hot or cold temperatures

·         Darkening of the tooth

·         Painful, swollen, or bleeding gums

·         Swollen nodes or lumps on the gum tissue

When a patient has a severe infection, our Glendale root canal dentists cleanse the infected material and reseal the tooth. Dental pulp fills the hollow space inside of a tooth—dental pulp is a collection of nerves, blood vessels, and tissue. When an infection spreads to the dental pulp, a dentist will extract the infected pulp from the hollow dental chamber all the way down through the dental root.  The empty space will then be treated with a filling to prevent further infection and maintain the integrity of the tooth.

This procedure is performed with modern sedation, and most of our patients report that it was as comfortable as a standard filling. Most importantly, successful root canal therapy prevents these much more severe and painful complications that can result from untreated dental infection:

·         Swollen facial and neck tissue

·         Compromised dental enamel, possibly resulting in holes that painfully expose dental nerves

·         Loss of jawbone density and strength

The earlier you seek treatment for a dental infection the more likely it is to be easily treated without complications. Don’t let fear negatively affect your dental health or your smile. Give our Glendale root canal dentists a call if you have any questions or you’d like to discuss your options in more detail. You can get more information on our website or by calling (818) 334-2974.