Your teeth are some of the strongest bones in your body. They not only help you achieve routine tasks such as biting, chewing, and eating, but your teeth roots stabilize your crowns through a secure connection with the jaw in order to do so. That being said, keeping them happy and healthy is of the utmost importance. Still, tooth decay and other infections can strike right when you least expect it, and treating a concern sooner rather than later is always the best option to pursue. In today’s blog, your Kansas City, MO dentist explains what happens when infection continues to spread and details the way a root canal treatment helps save your tooth.
Preventing the Loss of a Tooth
It goes without saying that tooth loss in and of itself is a phenomenon most individuals want to avoid. As children, we lose our baby teeth to make room for adult teeth. As an adult, however, the loss of a tooth is permanent, meaning once it is gone it will not be coming back.
In order to prevent tooth loss, the number one thing you can do for your smile is to practice routine preventive dental care. This often includes attending your routine checkups in addition to brushing, flossing, and rinsing using an antiseptic mouthwash.
When a tooth becomes infected and starts to experience decay, however, seeking treatment is a top priority. This is largely due to the fact that decay occurs on a microscopic level, but the longer it is present, the more damage it does. It will spread into the inner portion of a tooth and damage your sensitive nerves, causing discomfort, sensitivity, and pain. To learn more about this process, give our team a call today.
How Infection Spreads Inward
As we previously mentioned, decay is unique in that it works its way inside of a tooth rather than immediately spreading to neighboring structures. While its early stages may best be treated with a dental filling, decay to the degree that you are experiencing sharp pain and difficulty with biting and chewing warrants the need for root canal therapy.
Root canal therapy is the process of removing infection from the inner portion of your tooth and then reinforcing your structure to promote proper healing. Contact our team to learn more about this process today.
What to Know About Your Treatment
Your root canal appointment will begin with us numbing the affected area. Once it is numb, we will carefully but thoroughly remove the infected portion of the dental pulp, then fill the now hollow canals with dental material. After this step has been completed, we cure the material and then top off your structure with a cap.
Speak with Our Team Today
To learn more about the root canal process, contact Delightful Dental Care in Kansas City, MO by calling 816-942-7669 and speak to a member of our team to learn more about your options today.