If you feel a sudden, sharp pain in a tooth when drinking something hot or cold, it could be a sign of an infection. A persistent toothache could also mean you have an infected tooth that needs a root canal. A root canal, or root canal therapy, is a dental procedure to remove infection from the inside of a tooth.

More than fifteen million teeth are saved each year with root canal therapy. Many patients think root canals are painful, but they can be comfortable. At Valencia Advanced Dentistry at Copperhill Smiles, we perform many root canals yearly. We take pride in saving teeth and restoring smiles. If you are in the Santa Clarita area, call us to learn more or schedule a consultation for a root canal or other dental services.

A Brief Overview of Root Canal

A root canal is a procedure that fixes the damaged soft tissue inside a tooth. This soft tissue, called dental pulp, includes connective tissue, nerves, and blood vessels. Together, these components help the tooth develop. Sometimes, this tissue can become damaged. Regardless of the cause, damaged pulp can be painful, indicating an underlying issue.

Studies by the National Institute of Health (NIH) show that 97 percent of root canals done by endodontists are successful. When done correctly with a crown and filling, a root canal can last many years. If patients take care of their teeth and have regular cleanings, about 85 percent of root canals can last a lifetime.

The dentist will remove the damaged pulp during the treatment and fill the space with dental material. The good news is that pulp is unnecessary in adult teeth since it has already supported tooth growth. The filling will replace the pulp to help keep the tooth strong and healthy.

When Is A Root Canal Necessary?

You might need a root canal if bacteria invade the pulp inside your tooth. This can cause inflammation, which is called pulpitis. Your tooth pulp can be at risk of bacterial infection if you have:

  1. Deep cavities that require treatment
  2. A cracked or damaged tooth that allows bacteria from plaque to infect the pulp

If your tooth becomes infected, root canal therapy can help remove the infection. Sometimes, infected teeth do not show any symptoms. However, if you experience symptoms, they could include:

  • Pain when pressure is applied—If your teeth hurt when you touch them or eat, this could suggest that something has harmed the nerves near your tooth pulp
  • Persistent toothache—Many things can cause tooth pain. If the pain is deep or spreads to your face, other teeth, or jaw, it could mean you have an infection.
  • Swollen gums—Infected teeth can cause the gums to feel tender or swell
  • Pimples on your gums—Infections can form boils or pimples on the gums that release smelly pus or discharge
  • Swollen jaws—Your jaw could swell due to pus that does not drain from your infected tooth
  • Discolored tooth—An infection in the pulp can prevent blood from reaching your tooth, causing it to darken
  • Loose tooth—Pus or discharge from infected pulp can weaken the bones that support your tooth. This can make your tooth feel loose.

How Root Canal Treatments Work

If you experience symptoms like swollen gums, increased sensitivity, toothache, or any other sign of decay, you could have a tooth infection. A dentist can suggest root canal treatment to treat the infection.

Root canal treatment aims to fight infections and reduce future infection risks. It can also save infected or badly damaged teeth, allowing the dentist to fix the problem and relieve symptoms. Root canals are done without teeth removal, which is more complicated and expensive.

Before starting the treatment, your endodontist will take X-ray scans of the damaged teeth. They could also perform other tests to determine whether your dental pulp is infected, inflamed, or dead, confirming that you need a root canal.

Your dentist can also do the following:

  1. Gently tap on the tooth or apply hot or cold substances to check for pain or sensitivity
  2. Conduct electric pulp tests (EPTs) that send small electric currents through the tooth to check if the dental pulp reacts
  3. Look for any signs of bone or gum swelling around the tooth
  4. Ask if you feel pain when biting down on your tooth

A root canal therapy comprises the following steps:

Application of Anesthesia

The dentist will apply a small anesthetic to your gums near the affected tooth. After this medication has taken effect, an anesthetic will be injected into your gums. You might experience a sharp sting or a slight burning sensation, but these will quickly disappear. You will be awake during the procedure, but the anesthetic will prevent any pain.

Extraction of the Damaged Pulp

Once your teeth are anesthetized, the dental professional will create small openings at the top. The infected or damaged pulp will be carefully removed using special tools called files. Your dentist will also take great care to clean all the canals in the tooth.

Use of Antibiotics

After removing the pulp, the dentist can apply a topical antibiotic to eliminate the infection and prevent it from returning. Once the canals are cleaned and disinfected, the dentist will seal the tooth. They normally use a sealing paste and a rubber-like material known as gutta-percha. They might also prescribe oral antibiotics.

Temporary Dental Fillings

Once a root canal is bacteria-free and the symptoms have improved, the dentist will fill it. This usually happens 4 to 6 weeks after the 2nd phase of treatment is complete.

Special rubber points are fitted into the canals before filling them to seal the root canal. You can receive a permanent or temporary filling based on the extent of damage to your tooth. This sealant is used to protect the canals from saliva.

Follow-Up After A Root Canal Procedure

A dentist may suggest resting for a few minutes before leaving the clinic after your root canal. The anesthesia can take an hour or longer to wear off, meaning your gums and mouth will feel numb for a while. Some people prefer to rest at home, whereas others continue their daily activities.

When the numbing medication wears off, your tooth and gums can feel sore and swell. Most dentists suggest using over-the-counter pain relief for these symptoms. Contact your dentist if the pain becomes very strong or lasts over a few days.

You should be able to return to your normal routine the day after the procedure. However, avoid chewing on the damaged tooth until it receives a permanent filling or a crown. You will see your dentist within a few days after the treatment. The dentist will use X-rays to verify that all infections have been eliminated. They will also exchange the temporary fillings for permanent ones.

Your dentist can put a permanent crown on the tooth if you wish. Crowns are artificial teeth fabricated from materials such as porcelain or gold. After the treatment, it might take a few weeks to adjust to the sensation of the new tooth. This is normal and should not be a cause for concern.

Benefits of Root Canal

There are many medical reasons for needing root canal therapy, but there are also many practical reasons to save your natural tooth. Endodontic treatment helps you keep your natural smile, allows you to enjoy the foods you love, and reduces the need for further dental work. With proper care, most teeth that receive a root canal can last a lifetime.

The following are some of the benefits of using root canal therapy:

Saving the Tooth

Root canals allow you to keep your natural teeth instead of removing the infected teeth, which helps prevent the necessity of using bridges or implants.

Pain Relief

One of the main advantages of root canal therapy is that it helps relieve the pain from damaged or infected dental pulps. Once the tooth pulp is extracted, the tooth cannot signal pain to your brain.

Virtually Pain-Free Procedure

A root canal is usually painless. It often causes less pain during recovery than tooth extraction. Many patients find root canals less painful than extractions. This is due to modern techniques and effective anesthesia. The American Association of Endodontists states that you are six times more likely to feel no pain with a root canal. This is compared to not having the procedure.

Prevents Spread of Infections

Root canal therapy removes the damaged pulp to prevent the infection from spreading to the mouth or other body parts. Preserving the mouth’s structure can enhance your overall dental health.

Cost-Effective and Efficient

Tooth extraction can take longer than root canal treatment because you will need follow-up appointments for dentures, bridges, or implants. It can also be more expensive. Most dental insurance plans cover root canal therapy.

Visually Appealing Result

Crowns not only work like natural teeth, but they also look great. You can improve your smile and feel confident laughing again with root canal therapy.

Avoiding Future Oral Problems

Root canal treatments help prevent future issues such as abscesses, tooth loss, and pain. Additionally, a well-cared-for tooth with a root canal can last long, offering a strong solution for oral health.

Risks of a Root Canal Treatment

When performed by a skilled and experienced root canal specialist, this procedure has very high success rates. However, like any medical or dental procedure, potential complications, risks, and side effects associated with a root canal must be considered.

  • Reinfection

Many patients worry about reinfection before their root canal therapy. Naturally, when you undergo treatment to remove an infection, you want to ensure it is effective. While reinfection can be risky, an endodontist will take several steps to prevent it.

Reinfection can occur if any part of the treatment is done incorrectly. Before placing fillers, the dentist disinfects and cleans the empty root canal, which contains many narrow and winding paths. If an endodontist does not perform this process, some tiny passages could be missed or hard to reach.

One of the common risks of root canal treatment is a failure of the seal. After completing the root canal, the endodontist will reseal the opening used during the treatment. Any gaps or cracks in this seal can allow oral bacteria to penetrate the teeth.

The seal can also wear down over time. Permanent crowns or fillings are placed to close the outer parts of the teeth. Although these are made to endure pressure, without proper care, they can deteriorate, leading to a chance for bacteria to return.

  • Color Changes

The dental pulp is living tissue found inside each tooth. If it becomes infected, it must be removed through root canal therapy. While this treatment saves your tooth from being pulled, eliminates the infected tissue, and prevents the infection from spreading, it also means that this living part of the tooth is removed.

The tooth pulp contains connective tissue, blood vessels, and nerves. Without it, some patients can notice a change in color in the treated teeth.

When the pulp is removed, the tooth essentially loses its vitality. In rare cases, the dead roots of the tooth could start to show through the dentin. This situation only happens in a small number of cases. If it does occur, it can be easily addressed with crowns or veneers to enhance the tooth’s appearance.

  • Tooth Cracking

Teeth undergoing root canal treatment will not be as tough as before the infection and the procedure. Since the affected teeth die during treatment, it can become quite delicate with all the living parts removed.

The tooth pulp is key in nourishing and keeping the tooth moist. This explains why dentists often recommend crowns after a root canal treatment to help restore the strength of the outer part of the teeth.

  • Other Oral Complications

Root canal therapy can affect the nerves surrounding the damaged tooth in a very small number of patients. The treatment can sometimes lead to numbness in the affected region, but there is no need to worry, as this usually fades away within weeks.

Other risks associated with root canals are allergies to anesthesia. If you or a loved one has had allergic reactions to an anesthetic in a medical procedure, it is important to notify your dentist as soon as possible.

Recovery

Root canal therapy used to be very painful, which is one reason some people avoided it. Today, dentists offer pain relief methods to help reduce any discomfort you might feel during the procedure.

Before starting, your dentist will administer local anesthesia to numb the area and minimize pain. Although you can still feel mild pain during the cleaning, you should not experience discomfort during the treatment.

After the sedation wears off, you can feel mild pain and sensitivity. It is normal and relates to the dental cleaning process. During this process, your dentist will make a small opening at the top of the tooth and clean the infected pulp from the inside. While this may be uncomfortable, pain or sensitivity should only last briefly, like a day or two.

After a root canal, the pain is usually mild. You will likely need only over-the-counter pain relievers. Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB) or acetaminophen (Tylenol) should work.

Before taking any medicine, check with your doctor to ensure it will not react with any supplements or prescriptions you use. It is best to avoid chewing solid or hard foods after the root canal, as doing so could cause more discomfort.

When to Seek Medical Attention

If you continue to experience pain or swelling, contact your dentist. Most people require one to two sessions for a root canal to be effective. In more severe cases, you may need additional cleaning sessions. Ongoing pain could suggest that more treatment is necessary.

If you are using over-the-counter medication, your symptoms should improve. If they do not work, your dentist could suggest stronger options. These can include prescription ibuprofen or narcotic painkillers. Use them for a short time only.

After treating your tooth, your dentist can place a crown on it. Crowns can be made from metal, porcelain, or gold. It helps protect the fragile tooth from further damage. Sometimes, you might feel temporary pain as you adjust to the new dental crown.

Pain Management

If you experience pain beyond normal after a root canal, you should discuss this with your dentist. Besides taking medications for a short time, there are other steps you can take to handle pain from a root canal. Proper dental care is important. You should avoid hard or crunchy food substances until the discomfort reduces. Quitting smoking can also be beneficial. You should also engage in stress-relief activities to help manage any pain.

Find a Santa Clarita Root Canal Specialist Near Me

If you need a root canal or your dentist recommends one, seek treatment immediately. A root canal can treat an infected tooth and relieve the painful symptoms you have been facing. If you have tooth pain or swelling, contact us at Valencia Advanced Dentistry at Copperhill Smiles. Our dentists serve in the city of Santa Clarita, CA. To learn more about our services or to schedule an appointment, call us today at 661-775-7717.