How can you tell if you need a root canal? The answer may not be obvious. Although some patients don’t require a root canal, others show obvious or subtle symptoms that may require this dental procedure.
Although a Gold Coast root canal treatment may seem intimidating to some individuals, a trusted, highly skilled dentist can help significantly improve your dental function. If you’re anxious about an upcoming root canal, you can relax knowing we’re here to help. This blog explains the basic facts of this procedure, empowering patients with knowledge, optimal dental health, and long-term peace of mind.
What Is A Root Canal?
A root canal is a dental treatment that extracts damaged or infected pulp inside a tooth, preserving its structure. Its goals are eliminating infection and inflammation, and saving a damaged tooth.
Blood and nerve vessels inside a tooth can deteriorate slowly or quickly. Before long, the roots’ tips develop an infection, causing the vessels to die and making the tooth fragile.
In a root canal, your practitioner will clean, disinfect, and fill the tooth’s interior with a rubbery material known as gutta-percha. Next, he seals the tooth with a filling or crown to prevent another infection. Hence, a root canal preserves a damaged tooth without extracting it.
What Are The Symptoms of An Infected Tooth?
The symptoms of an infected tooth include the following:
- A change in the tooth’s colour from white to grey or purplish.
- Pain when biting or chewing food.
- Mild sensitivity to fluctuating temperatures.
- A slightly raised tooth sensation.
- Chronic toothache.
- A throbbing sensation that lasts up to several hours.
- Pain in the oral region that’s indirectly associated with the teeth.
- Lymph node pain, tenderness, and sensitivity.
- Balance and coordination issues.
- Pain and discomfort in the jaw, sinuses, or ears.
- Swelling around a tooth.
- A gum or sinus pimple that appears sporadically.
- A foul taste or pus leaking from a tooth.
- A large tooth cavity or hole.
- Pain or discomfort when pressing or tapping a tooth.
- Pain or discomfort when pressing the gums or cheeks near a tooth.
- A loose tooth.
Why Is a Root Canal Necessary?
A combination of the aforementioned symptoms and severe pain may require a root canal treatment. Please remember that patients with infected teeth needing a root canal may show minor symptoms. For this reason, we strongly recommend consulting a reputable dentist who can make the appropriate recommendations for your unique situation.
Bacteria may proliferate in a tooth after the tooth dies. Hence, the body creates blood vessels to neutralise the infection, which continues until your dentist removes the infection source. If left unchecked, an infected tooth may develop a cyst and affect surrounding teeth. Dentists may recommend an extraction when a root canal is futile.
Recurring abscesses may cause a tooth to misalign and the face to swell. At this stage, eating can be challenging. Dentists may recommend the extraction of several teeth and parts of the jawbone.
Localised infections can affect other body parts and immunity, cause heart disease, and compromise a person’s ability to recover from ailments or surgeries.
A timely root canal can bring relief to a discoloured, infected tooth caused by nerve and blood vessel failure. This procedure not only preserves your damaged tooth without extracting it, but also relieves pain and discomfort, optimises dental health, and creates a radiant, dazzling smile.
Depending on the situation, your practitioner can complete a root canal in one or two visits.
When Will My Dentist Recommend A Root Canal?
Your dentist recommends a root canal when your tooth’s nerve and blood vessels sustain permanent damage. He will also recommend this procedure when your tooth has already died. Your practitioner may conclude either scenario during a routine dental visit.
Either way, we recommend completing a root canal treatment as soon as possible—ideally within a few days or weeks after the diagnosis. Prompt action can prevent the infection from affecting adjacent bones, gums, and body parts. Worsening pain or discomfort may require tooth extraction if you wait too long.
Does Root Canals Give You Bad Breath?
Although not a common occurrence, a root canal sometimes causes bad breath. Several factors can cause halitosis (bad breath) after a root canal procedure, including the following:
- Residual infection: Oral bacteria can linger in the affected tooth even after thorough cleaning during a root canal treatment, leading to bad breath.
- Oral bacterial disruption: Your dentist will extract an infected or damaged tissue inside your tooth, disrupting oral bacterial balance and creating a foul odour.
- Post-treatment medications: Some post-root canal medications, including antibiotics or painkillers, can cause dry mouth or disrupt bacterial balance, causing halitosis.
Oral bacteria primarily cause bad breath by feeding on leftover food particles and creating sulphur compounds that lead to halitosis. Regular brushing, flossing, and visiting your dentist twice annually can prevent oral bacterial buildup and bad breath.
Are Root Canals Risky?
Root canal treatments are safe, especially when performed by a highly experienced and skilled dentist. He will apply a dental dam to protect the infected tooth, mouth, and airway from debris and treatment liquids, ensuring your comfort and safety throughout the procedure.
Allowing an infected tooth to worsen over time is dangerous. In extreme cases, patients may experience sepsis (bloodstream infection) in their upper jaws. The infection can affect the sinus, the eyes, and the brain. Abscesses can form rare, life-threatening swellings. However, studies have linked tooth infections to heart disease and an individual’s ability to recover from surgeries and illnesses. That’s why scheduling regular check-ups with your trusted dental professional is critical for long-term health, peace of mind, and well-being.
Conclusion
A root canal is a minimally invasive procedure that eliminates infection and inflammation and saves a damaged tooth without extracting it. Your dentist will recommend one if your tooth’s nerve and blood vessels have sustained permanent damage or when your tooth dies.
If you’ve been experiencing mild-to-extreme symptoms of an infected tooth, we strongly encourage consulting an experienced dentist, who can recommend a suitable strategy for your unique circumstance.
Please contact us today to schedule an appointment at our Robina dental clinic, improve your dental health, and enjoy a radiant, captivating smile.