A filling is a great way to help treat a case of tooth decay. But when decay becomes severe, or is an infection or abscess, then you may need an endodontic treatment. In today’s blog, your Newhall, CA, dentist will discuss how we use root canal therapy to treat painful infections and preserve your smile.
The Causes of a Dental Infection
A tooth is infected once the inner pulp is exposed to bacteria. The pulp is a group of living tissues that keeps your tooth functional by managing the flow of key nutrients and blood to and from the tooth. The pulp is surrounded by dentin and protected by the outer enamel. However, untreated tooth decay could spread through the dentin and meet the pulp, or an injury could crack or chip a tooth and expose sensitive inner tissues to bacteria. Warning signs often include toothaches, sensitive teeth, pain when bit down or chewing, swelling, or even a discharge. If you encounter one or more of these possible warning signs, then let us know right away!
Endodontic Solutions
When you see us, we will carefully examine your smile with digital x-ray and intraoral camera technology, so we can assess the extent of your infection. We then administer a numbing agent and for those with anxiety, sedation. Once you’re calm and comfortable, we open the tooth to remove all infected tissues from within the root canals. Next, we clean the inside of the tooth and add a special restorative filling material. The final step is to cap the tooth with a crown.
Creating a Custom Restoration
The crown portion helps prevent further injury, decay, or infection by covering the entire visible portion of your tooth. The restoration is durable and provides a dependable chewing surface. The material is also color-matched to blend with your smile and offer a lifelike appearance. To help prevent further infection, we suggest wearing a mouthguard to prevent injury when playing sports or martial arts. You should brush and floss daily to remove harmful bacteria and food particles, and also eat a healthier diet to deprive harmful bacteria of the sugar and starch they crave. Be sure to see us every six months too for a checkup and cleaning.
If you have any questions about how we repair and restore a tooth, then contact our team today. We want to restore your smile to optimal health, function, and beauty.
Do You Have Questions About Root Canal Therapy?
Our team wants to help you preserve your smile and avoid major oral health complications. Contact our Newhall, CA office at (661) 259-7760 to learn more about our endodontic treatment options or about any of our lifelike and durable dental restorations. You can also visit us at 25061 Peachland Ave. Newhall, CA 91321.