American Dentist Association recommends that an average person visit a dentist at least once in six months. Good oral hygiene is needed to keep your smile sparkling and also healthy. Here, we shall deal with the procedure of root canals.
What exactly is root canal?
A human tooth has many layers under the enamel. Under that, there is pulp and a large bundle of nerves. Sometimes, due to various reasons, the material of the tooth becomes decayed and/or infected causing a lot of pain and discomfort.
A root canal procedure involves taking out the infected pulp and nerves from the infected tooth, cleaning it and sealing it so that further infections are prevented from recurring and spreading.
What happens in a tooth that has to be treated through a root canal?
Due to repeated dental procedures or poor oral hygiene, the nerve pulp inside the teeth starts decaying and bacteria start to breed on the gum and the tooth. This, if untreated, starts damaging the root of the tooth and this starts spreading. So, root canal becomes necessary.
What makes root canal necessary?
Your dentist will make root canal necessary when one or more of the following conditions are present:
- There is an abscess and/or an infection near the root of the tooth.
- There is an excessive swelling in other areas like face, cheek, neck, head, etc., which stems from a damaged root.
- If bone around the teeth get damaged and this is spreading.
What damages the tooth?
A tooth’s nerves and pulp become damaged due to one or several of the following reasons:
- Deep decay due to poor oral hygiene.
- Repeated dental procedures which have caused wear and tear on the teeth.
- Damage to the tooth like a chip or a crack.
- Trauma to the face which causes damage to the tooth.
How is tooth canal done?
Tooth canal becomes very easy and less painful if you approach an expert dentist for Root Canal Buena Park. Here are the steps that are usually followed:
- X-Ray: The dentist might first take an X-Ray of the affected tooth to check if there is any infection to the surrounding bone.
- Anaesthesia: Once your dentist knows the shape and kind of damage, he/she shall administer anaesthesia to make you more comfortable and relaxed.
- Rubber dam: The dentist will place a rubber dam to ensure that the area is dry.
- Actual procedure: The dentist then drills an access hole into the teeth and takes out the pulp and dead nerves from the tooth through root canal files.
- Cleaning and sealing: After the tooth are emptied of its waste materials, it is thoroughly cleaned and sealed. Water is usually used to wash away the debris.
This was all that you need to know about root canals procedure. If you are undergoing it, never freak out. It is all safe and less painful than it used to be before.