Does the thought of a root canal treatment in Pompano Beach give you anxiety? Unfortunately, you are not alone. Many people have phobias about undergoing root canal procedures, especially because of the belief that the procedure is painful. Quite the contrary, root canal procedures in modern dentistry are pain-free treatment protocols for saving teeth.
What Is a Root Canal?
It is a dental procedure for treating the insides of a diseased or damaged tooth to save it. It is also called a pulpectomy. Ideally, root canals are the most common endodontic procedures in modern dentistry. They are among the first dental procedures dentists in lighthouse point will recommend for treating diseased teeth.
What Does a Root Canal Procedure Entail?
Some of the things you should anticipate during a root canal procedure are:
- Numbing and sedation – dentists typically use local anesthesia to numb your mouth, making the procedure pain-free. Sedation dentistry entails using a sedative medication to calm your nerves and relax your mind and body during the procedure. Besides, sedation helps treat dental anxiety.
- Drilling – the dentist uses a laser or dental drill to make a small hole in your tooth. The hole allows the dentist to access the inner layers of your tooth.
- Cleaning – the dentist ensures to remove all damaged tissues and bacteria from your tooth. The cleaning process targets the pulp cavity, the tooth’s innermost layer housing blood vessels, connective tissues, and other soft tissues. After cleaning, our family dentist in Pompano Beach will apply medication to destroy any remnant bacteria and keep the cavity free of infections.
- Shaping, filling, and sealing – after cleaning, the dentist reshapes the canal of your tooth, filling it with a special filler called gutta-percha. The dentist will also fill the tooth with a dental filling of choice, whether amalgams, gold, or composite fillings.
- Crowning – although it is not a mandatory part of every root canal procedure, some dentists prefer to place a dental crown over the treated tooth. The necessity of a dental crown is more pronounced when you need a big dental filling to cover the treated tooth. In such a case, the dental crown will help hold the tooth filling and natural tooth structure in place.
When Would You Need a Root Canal?
The goal of a root canal procedure is to save your natural tooth. Therefore, a dentist near you is likely to recommend a root canal procedure under the following circumstances:
- Decayed tooth
- Severely sensitive tooth
- Broken or cracked tooth
- Abscessed tooth
- Severe toothache
Must You Get a Root Canal?
No dentist in 33062 can force you into undergoing a root canal procedure. Instead, Dr. Francois in Caring Dental Services Pompano will walk you through the various treatment options available for repairing and restoring a damaged tooth. Some other treatments you may want to explore instead of a root canal procedure are:
- Direct pulp capping – is a procedure that treats any tooth damage that exposes the pulp. The dentist will place a special material over the exposed pulp, creating a mineral barrier that promotes tissue repair while protecting the pulp.
- Pulpotomy – is very similar to a root canal procedure for removing the pulp. However, in this procedure, the dentist will preserve the root canals and tooth nerve. It is typically the root canal alternative for children’s teeth, especially when their tooth roots have not fully developed.
- Tooth extraction – entails the permanent removal of a problematic tooth. It can be a great way to treat excruciating pain and alleviate any other symptoms you have. However, post tooth extraction, you need to liaise with your dentist in Pompano Beach for a different procedure for replacing the tooth.
- Apicoectomy – is an endodontic procedure that entails treating a diseased tooth from the root. The process involves undergoing a small surgery in a dental clinic in Pompano Beach. The family dentist in Pompano Beach will cut open your gums to expose the problematic tooth root, drain the abscesses and restore the damaged tooth.