At this point, you might consider the term “root canal” little more than a punchline. The treatment is used in popular culture as a benchmark for pain and discomfort and is universally considered all-around awful.
Dentists, though, see the root canal as a procedure that alleviates both present and future pain. Our compassionate team at Richard Hardt, DDS, Family Dentistry has helped countless patients get proper treatment for severe tooth pain and made sure it didn’t return.
Dr. Richard Hardt and Dr. Lawryn Monterroso have years of experience between them, and call upon this procedure regularly to put a permanent end to patient suffering and very importantly, head off an even worse fate: a full tooth extraction.
What exactly is a root canal?
We perform a root canal procedure on the interior of your tooth. This type of dental care is known as endodontics.
Your tooth’s interior contains pulp, which enabled your tooth to grow and emerge from your gums years ago, but isn’t necessary for tooth health after that. When this pulp becomes infected or swollen, you experience persistent, often intense pain.
Your tooth becomes vulnerable to infection for many reasons. For example, if you have had extensive dental work done on a single tooth or if the majority of your tooth consists of a filling, you’re at risk. Ditto when your tooth suffers some type of contact injury.
A root canal addresses the root of your pain
A root canal literally eliminates the problem, and the pain, by removing the affected pulp, as well as the nerve, entirely. Then we clean the interior of your tooth and seal it. Without root canal treatment, you can develop serious infection-related issues, such as abscesses.
What about pain during and after the root canal procedure?
Advances in pain relief and technology have made it so that a root canal experience resembles getting a tooth filled. During your root canal, we manage your anesthesia so you don’t experience discomfort.
Your tooth may be tender for a few days after the procedure, but don’t hesitate to use nonprescription pain medications such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen.
In addition to freeing you from the stress and tooth pain that brought you to us in the first place, the root canal and ensuing crown placement (if necessary) means that you’ll be rid of tooth pain for good.
The real deal on root canals
Root canals have gotten a bad rap, and we’re here to tell you that they’re our first option when we seek a viable way to save your aching, infected tooth. This means you don’t have to endure the discomfort of extraction and a dental implant process to prevent a tooth gap, both of which are more complicated and uncomfortable than a root canal.
Is a root canal the right choice for you?
Don’t try to tough it out with tooth pain. An infection, if left untreated, can be dangerous. If you’re a candidate for a root canal, we can return you to a pain-free life quite quickly.
Simply call us to make an appointment and see if a root canal is the right choice for you. No matter what dental services you need, we’re here.
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