Root Canal Therapy: What to Expect

When you hear “root canal therapy,” do your knees start to quake? Oftentimes, patients fear the idea of a root canal without quite knowing what it is. 

In this dental treatment, your Houston dentist works to remove an infection from the inside of a tooth. This helps to protect the tooth from future infections and improve your oral health in the meantime. 

Quick Facts About Root Canals

• We use root canal therapy to remove nerves from the pulp of the tooth. 
• Typically, patients THINK it’s painful. However, the treatment actually relieves pain. 
• We also call a “root canal” endodontic therapy. 
• Costs vary with this treatment. However, the alternative is tooth extraction with a crown or implant. 

What Is a Root Canal?

In reality, a “root canal” is not dental treatment. The root canal is actually part of the tooth. This hollow area contains the “pulp” of the tooth. 

• Nerve tissue 
• Blood vessels 
• Other cells 

Your teeth consist of both a crown and roots. The crown is what we see above the gums, and the roots sit below them. Additionally, the roots attach teeth to your jawbone. 

The pulp inside the root canal nourishes your tooth and provides the surrounding area with moisture. These nerves in the pulp sense temperature and perceive them as pain. 

Oftentimes, people refer to endodontic therapy as a “root canal.”

The Steps in Root Canal Therapy

Root canal therapy consists of three steps. They take anywhere from 1-3 sessions to complete. 

Clean the Root Canal

To begin, your Houston dentist removes everything inside the root canal. 

Generally, we provide local anesthesia to patients to reduce discomfort throughout the procedure. Next, we make a small access hole on the surface of the tooth and remove diseased or dead pulp tissue. 

Filling the Hollow Area

With the pulp out, your Houston dentist then cleans, shapes, and decontaminates this hollow area. To do so, we use tiny files and irrigation solutions. 

Once clean, we fill the tooth with a rubber-like material and seal the canal with adhesive cement.

Following root canal therapy, the tooth is dead. This means you no longer feel pain in the tooth because we removed the nerve tissue. As such, we eliminate the infection. 

Crowns and Fillings

Without the pulp, your tooth is more fragile than before. Because there’s no pulp to supply nourishment, the tooth receives it from the ligament that attaches it to the bone. While this is adequate, the tooth becomes brittle over time. 

With a crown or filling, we provide protection to the tooth. Until you have the crown or filling, it’s important not to chew or bite with the treated tooth. After the procedure, though, it functions as before. 

Typically, this treatment only takes one appointment. However, some cases become more complex. Here are a few cases that take multiple appointments. 

• Multi-canals 
• Large infections
• Curved canals

How Painful Is Root Canal Therapy?

Generally, patients associate root canal therapy with a great deal of pain. However, the pain comes from the infection, not the treatment. Typically, the treatment itself is relatively painless. 

The idea behind the treatment is to alleviate pain, not cause it. With a gentle touch, your Houston dentist helps you feel more comfortable. Moreover, we improve your oral health by removing the infection and reinforcing your tooth. 

After the treatment, it’s normal to feel some tenderness. This is temporary, though. Often, over-the-counter (OTC) pain medication is enough to relieve it. When necessary, there’s potential to provide a prescription. 

Additionally, your dentist might prescribe an antibiotic to help treat or prevent an infection. 

Who Needs Root Canal Therapy?

When the pulp of a tooth develops an infection, it has no way to repair itself. As such, the tissue dies. 

If a tooth has a deep cavity, a crack, or a loose filling, it leaves space for bacteria to infect the pulp in the root canal. Over time, the bacteria destroy the pulp. In severe cases, the bacteria penetrate the root openings, which has the potential to infect the bone. 

These infections weaken and break down the bone. Over time, the ligaments around the tooth swell, causing it to become loose. 

Pulp injuries make a tooth sensitive to hot and cold temperatures. Additionally, you might feel pain as you chew. In certain cases, people experience a throbbing pain that is continuous. 

Without treatment, the infection spreads. Eventually, it requires tooth extraction. 

Root Canal Therapy or Tooth Extraction?

In certain cases, patients opt for tooth extraction. Often, this is because the pain is too great or there’s no option to restore the tooth. For instance, these patients often experience trauma, loss of bone, or a great deal of decay. 

However, when we remove a tooth, it causes the surrounding teeth to shift. Oftentimes, this requires a dental bridge or dental implant to fill the space and support the bone structure. 

With root canal therapy, we are often able to save the tooth and eliminate the pain. 

When this is not possible, the next best option is a dental implant. However, we strive to save the natural tooth because nothing functions quite as well as the real thing. 

How to Prevent the Need for Root Canal Treatments

In order to prevent infection to the pulp, our Houston dentists recommend the following. 

• Brush your teeth before bedtime and at least one other point throughout the day. 
• Use toothpaste with fluoride. 
• Attend your regular dental check-ups and cleanings. 
• Use a suitable toothbrush and replace it regularly (every few months). 
• Floss to clean between your teeth and prevent the buildup of plaque. 
• Avoid sugary drinks and foods, following a healthier diet. 

Ask whether you are a good candidate for dental sealants. 

In Pain? Our Team Is Here to Help! 

When you experience dental pain, it’s important to make an appointment with your Houston dentist as soon as possible. We take a deeper look into your situation to assess the proper solution. 

When root canal therapy becomes necessary, we know how to make you comfortable throughout the process and alleviate your pain. If you feel pain in your teeth, don’t wait to see if it goes away. Call our team today to book an appointment!