Our Glendale root canal dentists are committed to helping patients get the dental treatment they need to maintain healthy, beautiful smiles. We’ve found that many patients are initially afraid of root canal therapy—it seems like some people will honestly do anything to avoid it! However, once patients understand how root canal therapy works with the structure of the tooth to save its functionality and appearance, they become much more comfortable with pursuing treatment.
So how does root canal therapy work?
Root canals are necessary when a tooth becomes severely and thoroughly infected. Each tooth you have is comprised of different layers of material. The hardest layer is the dental enamel. The enamel is the white, shiny, visible layer of the tooth. This layer protects the inner tooth from infection and pain, allowing you to eat and chew normally.
Below the dental enamel is a layer of dentin. Dentin is hard, and therefore provides another layer of protection. However, the dentin is also more porous, or easily penetrable, than the dentin. This means that infection and decay can move more readily through dentin than through enamel.
Both the enamel and the dentin protect the inner core of the tooth, called the dental pulp. The dental pulp is comprised of tissue, blood vessels, and nerves. This inner-core feeds the tooth and keeps it healthy. When the dental pulp becomes infected, a root canal may be necessary to save the tooth.
During a root canal our Glendale root canal dentist clears away the infected dental pulp and then reseals the tooth with a filling. Without a root canal the infection can continue to spread, ultimately resulting in abscesses and infected bones and gum tissue.
While a root canal may initially seem scary, the truth is that with modern technology this procedure can be quite comfortable, and more importantly, it halts an expanding infection. Feel free to contact our Glendale root canal office for more information or to schedule an appointment!