When Do You Need Root Canal Therapy? Signs and Symptoms

Root canals are a dental process that helps clean out decay in your dental pulp and the root. Your teeth consist of an enamel layer on the exterior, another layer of dentin, and a soft inner core extending to the root of your jawbone. When tooth decay reaches the soft core, the dental pulp comprising of blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissue in the dental pulp becomes infected or inflamed or dead. Therefore, a root canal becomes necessary to clean the decay.

How to ascertain whether you need a root canal? Please continue reading to learn more about the factors indicating you need root canal treatment.

What Is a Root Canal?

The root canal procedure is similar to a small Roto-Rooter, eliminating decay to preserve the infected tooth. The dentist will eliminate pollution and bacteria from the dental pulp, root, and nerve during the process. The dentist will disinfect the tooth with antibiotics before filling the empty roots. The tooth is sealed to prevent further decay.

Root canals are performed by general dentists or specialists called Endodontists. Endodontic treatment helps prevent further decay while preserving your natural tooth by performing a root canal. However, the procedure can make your natural tooth fragile, making a restoration with a dental crown essential.

Factors for Needing Root Canal Therapy

The optimal way to determine whether you need root canal therapy in Scarborough, ON, is to visit the specialist with one of the below-mentioned several signs. If you notice any symptoms described, seeing the dentist as soon as possible is essential because the earlier you receive treatment, the better the outcome.

Some factors indicating the need for a root canal include the following:

• Persistent Pain: persistent pain in a tooth is a symptom of needing a root canal. The discomfort might remain with you all the time or subside to return after some time. You may experience pain deep in the tooth’s bone or feel radiating pain in your face, jaw, or other teeth.
• Tooth pain can arise from several reasons besides a root canal. For example, you may experience discomfort because of the disease, cavities, radiating pain from sinus infections, damaged fillings, or an infected impacted tooth. Regardless of the cause, seeing the dentist when you experience persistent tooth pain is an excellent idea. Getting the tooth diagnosed and treated is optimal for a better outcome.
• Temperature Sensitivity: does the tooth hurt when eating warm foods or having coffee? Perhaps the tooth is sensitive when eating ice cream or drinking chilled water. The sensitivity might feel dull or sharp. However, if the sensitivity lingers even after removing the sensation, it indicates you need a root canal. Damage to the blood vessels in the nerve inside the tooth cause sensitivity indicating a root canal is in order.
• Tooth Discoloration: dental pulp infections can cause your tooth to discolour. Trauma to the tooth or internal tissue breakdown can damage roots to give your tooth a greyish appearance. The discoloration becomes visible if an anterior tooth is affected. Dental pulp can die with inadequate blood supply signalling the need for endodontic therapy.
• Swollen Gums: if you experience tooth pain with swollen gums appearing intermittently with tenderness to touch, the swelling results from acidic waste from the necrotic pulp tissue. You may also have pimples on the gums or abscess oozing pus from the infection in the tooth. The condition can give you an awful taste in the mouth besides lousy breath.
• Pain When Eating or Touching the Tooth: Painful eating or touching the tooth indicates severe decay or nerve damage that needs treatment from the Scarborough dentist providing a root canal.

Causes of Tooth Infections

Your tooth can become infected from improper dental hygiene allowing tooth decay to develop in your mouth without seeking attention from your local dentist every six months for exams and cleanings. However, tooth infections can also develop from a chipped or cracked tooth, dental trauma, repeated procedures on the same tooth, et cetera.

How to Prevent Needing a Root Canal?

If you wish to prevent needing a root canal, you must follow the same dental hygiene practices helpful for preventing cavities and other dental problems. In addition, you can use the below-mentioned steps as a preventive measure against needing endodontic therapy.

You must brush your teeth twice daily using fluoride toothpaste and floss them at least once daily to remove food particles and debris between your teeth. Get your teeth professionally cleaned at six monthly intervals or earlier if necessary. Limit the sugary and carbohydrate-rich foods you consume because they can stick to your teeth to encourage mouth bacteria to feed on them and deposit acids to erode tooth enamel and cause holes.

Root canals become essential when the dental pulp inside your tooth becomes infected and causes discomfort and pain. If you have the symptoms mentioned above, visit the Scarborough dentist to diagnose your condition and receive treatment as soon as possible.

Every toothache does not require a root canal. However, if you experience the above-mentioned symptoms and visit Finch East Dental Care, they will recommend a root canal to eradicate the infection from inside the tooth to preserve it. Receive the treatment as soon as possible before it results in tooth extraction.