When you flash your smile, you want it to send the right message — one of confidence and great health. The recipe for that great smile starts with a neat row of pearly whites. Here’s how we can accomplish that.
Though there are many myths surrounding root canals, this common procedure helps over 15 million people maintain their natural teeth every year. If you’re suffering from symptoms related to a decayed or infected tooth, a root canal from the experienced team at A New Smile CC in Santa Clarita, California, can alleviate your pain and save your tooth!
Dr. Lisa Vallesteros and Dr. Parham Ramtin have the experience and expertise necessary to assess your affected tooth and use a comprehensive, patient-centric treatment approach to holistically treat your oral health. Our experts specialize in helping our patients avoid dental extractions with root canal therapy.
We’ve curated this guide to help you understand why a root canal is better than tooth extraction in most cases. Read on to learn more!
A root canal is a common procedure that treats infections occurring in the root canal of your tooth, the space that houses the dental pulp and nerves. A root canal removes the pulp, material your tooth no longer needs once your mature tooth erupts.
A persistent toothache is one sign you might need a root canal. Other symptoms of infection or decay include darkening or discoloring of your tooth, persistent bad breath, increased sensitivity to hot and cold, inflammation, and pus or a small pimple on the gumline.
To know for certain if you need a root canal, you’ll need to be examined by an experienced dentist, like Dr. Vallesteros or Dr. Ramtin. Your dentist evaluates your teeth and uses an X-ray to determine the extent of the damage or infection and design a treatment plan that’s right for you.
The top reason root canals are the preferred treatment method is that by taking out the infected material, a root canal removes infection or decay before it spreads. In other words, root canals can save your tooth.
Here are three more reasons why, in many cases, root canals are better than extraction:
Root canals typically involve one to two office visits. During your appointment, the dead or diseased pulp is cleared away. Your dentist then fills the empty space to seal it, eliminating the infection without affecting the function of your natural tooth. Depending on the extent of damage to the tooth, Dr. Vallesteros or Dr. Ramtin may add a crown or filling.
Tooth extractions, on the other hand, can mean added follow-up appointments and extra work. That’s because an extraction alone doesn’t usually resolve your dental problems. It’s only the first step before more costly, involved procedures, like a bridge or implant.
When you have a tooth extracted, there’s a gap left in your mouth. This space creates an imbalance in your natural dental structure, and your remaining teeth gradually move to fill it. This movement weakens your remaining teeth and creates spaces in your gums.
Root canal therapy keeps your teeth in their natural positions, maintaining the natural line and strength of your jaw. This allows you to keep your normal bite and avoids compromising the health of your adjacent teeth.
There are many myths about the pain of root canal therapy. But today’s root canals are similar to routine fillings and state-of-the-art techniques, and anesthesia makes the treatment virtually painless.
On the other hand, tooth extraction involves surgery below the gum line, making root canals less invasive. In fact, patients who opt for a root canal are six times more likely to describe the procedure as painless compared to patients who opt for extraction.
What’s more? With root canals, most of our patients find there’s less post-procedure pain and faster recovery time with root canal treatments compared to what’s common after a dental extraction.
If you’re experiencing dental pain, don’t suffer another day! Delaying treatment compromises the health of your damaged or infected tooth as well as the health of your entire mouth.
To learn if root canal therapy is the right treatment for you, contact our Santa Clarita office, or schedule an appointment online today!
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