What is a root canal?
A root canal is a procedure that Dr. Gelman performs to salvage an infected tooth. The primary purpose of a root canal is to remove all of the infected pulp from within your tooth and seal it to prevent further infection.
Your pulp is the soft, inner layer of your tooth that’s made up of connective tissues, blood vessels, and nerves. When your pulp gets infected, it gets inflamed. As it swells, your nerves get pinched, which causes a great deal of pain.
A successful root canal alleviates this pain and saves your tooth from further infection, thereby preventing you from having to get an extraction.
What are the signs of an infected tooth?
Some of the symptoms of an infected tooth include:
- Spontaneous pain in your tooth
- Throbbing in your jaw or mouth
- Intense pain when you bite down on your tooth
- Increased sensitivity in your tooth to hot or cold
- Pus around your tooth’s gumline
- A small, pimple-like bump on your gum
- Bad breath
- Inflamed gums
- Darkened tooth
If you think you have an infected tooth, don’t hesitate to schedule a visit at NJ Dental 1. Until you get professional treatment, it’s only going to get worse.
Do I really need a root canal?
An infected tooth never gets better on its own. If left untreated, it can lead to a wide range of other health complications, such as:
- Tooth loss
- Infection of your neighboring teeth or jawbone
- Abscesses
- Sepsis
By removing the infection, a root canal prevents these problems from occurring and makes your mouth healthy again.
What happens during a root canal?
Dr. Gelman numbs your tooth and the surrounding tissues with a local anesthetic and protects the rest of your mouth with a rubber dental dam.
He drills a tiny hole in the top of your tooth, then uses a series of files to extract the damaged pulp from within your tooth. Because this tissue is already dead, you won’t feel a thing.
Once he’s removed all of your infected pulp, he cleans the inside of your pulp chamber. He sometimes applies a topical antibiotic to ensure that all of the infection is removed from your tooth.
Next, he fills your pulp chamber with a rubbery compound called “gutta percha,” fills the hole he drilled in the top of your tooth, and administers a crown to restore and strengthen your tooth.
To learn more about how Dr. Gelman can improve your oral health with a gentle and effective root canal, schedule a visit today by calling the office or booking an appointment online.
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