Learning More Your Tooth Pain And The Reasons A Root Canal Is Your Best Option For Relief

Dentist Blog

When your dentist tells you a root canal is in order to treat your tooth pain, you may cringe and become fearful. Many people assume that a root canal is severely painful and takes a while to heal. However, you should know that a root canal is no more painful than having a filling in a tooth. The pain that is caused by infected, inflamed roots can be excruciating. You may wonder why your dentist doesn't just give you antibiotics and oral painkillers for your infected tooth roots. Learn more about the reasons a root canal is the best way to stop the pain of infected, inflamed roots.

How Your Tooth's Roots May Have Become Infected

The outer layer on the surface of your teeth, the enamel, works to protect the nerves and dentin inside them. In the event one of your teeth is cracked, like from an injury or if you have a cavity that hasn't been treated, bacteria are able to penetrate the enamel to make their way into the tooth's core. Once bacteria are present in the tooth's core, they cause inflammation in the tooth's nerve center. An impacted nerve center is the reason the pain you feel is so tremendous. In many cases, the infection travels into the roots of an affected tooth as well.

Why Antibiotics Don't Work For Infected Pulp

The nerves and blood vessels for each of your teeth are found in their pulp. When you have an infected from a cavity, like that of an abscess, the bacteria works to kill the pulp, depressing its nerves and severely compromising healthy blood flow in the pulp. When the tissues in a tooth's pulp die, a gas is produced that causes pressure on the nerves—the reason you feel intense pain. When you take antibiotics, they work to destroy the bacteria causing the infection, but they do not fix the problem that allowed the bacteria to reach the pulp in the first place. For example, a cracked tooth may require bonding or a crown for its successful repair.

If you only take antibiotics for the pain of an infected pulp, you could be waiting for a long time for pain relief because of the compromised blood flow caused by the infection, slowing down the work of antibiotics. A root canal involves the infected tissue being removed and replaced with filler, usually gutta-percha, providing instant pain relief, while also preserving the tooth. If you are hurting bad, having a root canal is the best way to end your tooth pain while also saving the tooth causing it.

For more information on root canals, check out websites like http://www.apollodentalcenter.com.

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15 November 2016

Loving Your Smile

Do you remember the last time you looked at your smile and really loved what you saw? A few years ago I started spending more time analyzing my appearance, and I noticed that my teeth were seriously lacking. I knew that I had to do something to improve the situation, so I began focusing on loving my smile by getting some work done. I started talking with a dentist about how he could help, and it was really incredible to see the simple difference that he was able to make. Within a few years, my smile looked and felt completely different, and I was really pleased with the results. Check out this blog for great information on making your smile more beautiful.