You may think of a root canal as a scary and painful procedure, but in reality, it’s not much more complex than a filling, and it actually alleviates much of your pain. If you have an infected or damaged tooth, schedule a visit immediately with A New Smile CC in Santa Clarita, California. Their team of dental professionals can treat your tooth and get your smile back in shape with a gentle and effective root canal. You can book your visit by phone or online.
A root canal is a procedure that treats a damaged or infected tooth by removing its pulp.
The pulp is the soft inner layer of your tooth. It’s composed of blood vessels, connective tissues, and nerve fibers. When your tooth is damaged or infected, the pulp gets inflamed.
The swelling pinches the nerves inside your tooth against the inside of your pulpal chamber, which causes a great deal of pain.
A root canal eases your pain by removing the pulp, which isn’t actually necessary after your tooth has erupted through your gumline.
Root canals are particularly useful procedures because they allow your dental team to treat a damaged or infected tooth without having to extract the entire tooth.
If your tooth pulp is damaged or infected, you likely need a root canal. Some of the signs of damaged or infected tooth pulp include:
An untreated tooth infection can lead to other serious conditions, like:
Without treatment, your tooth is only going to get worse. If you’re in need of a root canal, don’t hesitate to schedule an appointment with A New Smile CC.
First, your dentist takes a digital X-ray of your tooth to assess the extent of your infection or damage and to use as a roadmap for the procedure.
Next, they anesthetize the surrounding tissues and fit you with a rubber dental dam to protect the rest of your mouth. Your dentist then drills a small access hole in your tooth and uses an endodontic file to clear out all of the decayed pulp tissue within.
Once your tooth is free of dead pulp, your dentist cleans and sterilizes the pulpal chamber, and sometimes reinforces its structure with a small metal or plastic rod.
They fill up the inside of your tooth with a rubbery compound called gutta-percha, then seal off the access hole with a dental filling.
Finally, your dentist may also fit you with a dental crown to restore the strength and integrity of your tooth.
To learn more, schedule your root canal with A New Smile CC by calling the office or booking online.
