When you hear that you need root canal treatment in Aldergrove, you may begin to feel a bit nervous. After all, aren’t root canals expensive and painful? While this is what mainstream media may lead you to believe, root canal treatment is a necessary and standard dental procedure performed by a dentist near you to save your tooth from extraction. Read more to learn about what root canal treatments really entail.
What is Root Canal Treatment?
Your tooth consists of a crown and roots. The crown is the part of your tooth that rests above the gum line, and the roots are below it. The roots are what attach your tooth to the jaw bone. Inside your crown and roots is the pulp. The pulp is the part of your tooth that holds all the essential nerves and blood vessels that supply nutrients to your tooth. When the pulp becomes infected, the damaged portion must be removed to stop your tooth from dying. Root canal treatment is the procedure performed to remove this pulp.
How Do Root Canals Work?
When you visit Aldergrove Dental Clinic for root canal treatment near you, you can expect the procedure to be broken down into the following steps:
- Cleaning the canal: After providing you with a local anesthetic, our dentist will drill a small access hole in the crown of your tooth to remove the diseased and infected pulp on the inside of your tooth.
- Filling the canal: Our dentist will clean, disinfect and reshape the hole they created before filling it with a rubber-like filling material.
- Adding a dental crown: Finally, our dentist will place a dental crown over the top of your tooth to provide it with protection and strength.
Root canal treatment is typically done in just one appointment, but you may have to split your treatment into one or two additional visits if you have multiple infections.
Are Root Canals Painful?
One of the biggest misconceptions about root canal treatment is that it is painful. However, when a trained dentist in Aldergrove performs root canal treatment on you, the procedure should be nearly painless. The pain that most people feel is due to the infection of the tooth and not from the treatment itself. In fact, most people find that getting root canal treatment does not cause pain but rather alleviates their pain. It is normal to experience some tenderness after your procedure, but this can be managed with over-the-counter painkillers and should subside within a few days.
How Much Do Root Canals Cost?
The cost of root canal treatment depends on each case, but root canal treatment is typically fairly cost-efficient. The alternative to root canal treatment is tooth extraction, which can be much more expensive because the extracted tooth will eventually have to be replaced with a dental bridge or implant. Tooth extractions can also lead to further oral health issues down the line, such as a misaligned bite or difficulty speaking and chewing.
How to Prevent Needing a Root Canal?
The best way to prevent tooth infections and disease is to maintain an excellent oral hygiene routine of brushing twice a day for at least two minutes and flossing once daily. You should also visit our team at Aldergrove Dental Clinic for regular dental cleanings and checkups at least once every six months. Root canals can seem scary, but we hope that you have realized how simple and important this tooth-saving procedure is after reading this article. If you need root canal treatment, please contact us to book a consultation today!