If a tooth becomes infected, this could mean toothaches and even discomfort when you try to eat. But we can help stop the pain, and keep the tooth intact at the same time! In today’s blog, your team at My Dentist in Londonderry, NH, talks about preventing tooth loss with a safe and gentle root canal.
How An Infected Tooth Leads to Missing Teeth
When an infection forms, this means that harmful oral bacteria have made contact with the inner pulp, the nerve center of your tooth. This contact typically happens via untreated cavities, or as a result of an injury to your tooth that exposes the interior. Without treatment, the infection will grow in severity until it reaches a point that the tooth cannot be treated and must be extracted to prevent the spread of infection. In severe cases, you could lose the tooth entirely without extraction, and the infection could reach other parts of your smile. But with root canal therapy, we have a safe and gentle way to stop painful infection symptoms and prevent the loss of your tooth.
Help with a Root Canal
A root canal allows our team to treat infection and stop pain in your tooth, and protect it from complications down the road. To begin, we will examine your smile with digital x-rays to assess the exact position of the infected area. We then numb the tooth so you stay comfortable while we open the tooth and remove the tissues from within. Next, we clean the inside of your tooth thoroughly and add a special restorative filling material. The last step is to cap the tooth with a dental crown. The crown helps protect the remaining structure from decay and infected structures, and ensure you have a durable chewing surface. We also take time to ensure your crown looks natural.
Preventing an infected Tooth
To help prevent infected teeth (and cavities), we want to see you for a checkup and cleaning every six months, so we can watch for early signs of trouble and conduct a cleaning to remove all plaque and tartar. For kids, we can offer fluoride treatments and dental sealants to help fight cavities. To protect your smile from home, be sure you brush and floss daily, and limit how much is in your diet. If you have any questions about how we save and treat infection with a root canal, then contact our team today to learn more and start the treatment process.
Schedule a Root Canal Procedure with Dr. Wei, DMD
Our team wants to help treat an infected tooth and keep your smile whole and healthy with an endodontic treatment. To schedule your appointment, call Dr. YiChen Wei, DMD at My Dentist in Londonderry, NH at (603) 965-3407 today.
