Three Reasons You May Need A Root Canal

A root canal is not something anyone wants to go through, but it may be necessary to save a tooth and protect your oral health. Here are some reasons why a root canal may be necessary and how the procedure can be different. 

Irreversible Inflammation

A common reason to need a root canal is due to irreversible inflammation. This is when the tooth often feels hot, and it can feel like it is on fire when you drink something that is cold. It can also feel very tender when you bite down with it and can cause you to have trouble sleeping at night. 

While these may seem like bad reasons to need a root canal, it actually puts you in a good place in terms of recovery. A root canal for this problem doesn't typically require antibiotics, and you will see immediate relief from the pain after the procedure. When the anesthetic wears off after the procedure, you'll notice that you can drink cold beverages again and not feel pain. You'll need to return to the dentist soon to have the tooth restored with a permanent crown.

Infection

A tooth with an infection may have no pain at all or have deep and throbbing pain. If you don't feel anything at all, it's because the dentist found an abscess on an x-ray and wants to take care of it before it gets worse. This tooth is actually dead due to bacteria inside the tooth, which is why you do not experience sensitivity to hot and cold foods. 

This type of root canal is complicated because the infection needs to be managed. This can be done by treating the infection with antibiotics or repeat visits to treat the tooth with medicine over a couple of weeks to get rid of the infection. It really depends on how the tooth reacts and your symptoms after the root canal. Your dentist will let you know when it is time to come back for further treatment.

Swelling

When you experience swelling and need a root canal, it is because the infection has spread to the soft tissues of your mouth. It is a more serious type of root canal that will require immediate attention from your dentist. It may even require an incision and drainage procedure to give you immediate relief. One thing to know about tissue damage from the infection is that you can experience a lot of discomfort following the root canal for a few days. This is normal when this level of damage has occurred, and it will take some time to recover.

For more information about root canal treatments, contact a local dentist.

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