When new patients visit our dental practice in Mayfair, Philadelphia for a root canal treatment, many are surprised to discover that this is a relatively simple procedure for our experienced team. Some dental offices refer their patients to us if they need a root canal because they aren’t equipped to handle such a procedure.
If you are afraid to get a root canal treatment because of the pain, we assure you that when you go to Mayfair Dental Center, this is not the case at all. Your tooth may hurt a lot right now but the procedure itself is painless, and once we’re done, you won’t feel any pain anymore.
A root canal treatment is a dental solution that becomes necessary if the pulp of your tooth is infected. The pulp is in the center of the tooth and consists of the nerves, connective tissue, and small blood vessels. When the pulp becomes infected, we remove it along with the infection during the root canal treatment.
If you don’t get a root canal treatment, then the infection can get much worse. If your pulp is infected severely, you may feel pain in the area. Eventually, the infection can spread to a point where even a root canal treatment can no longer save the tooth. When this happens, the only option you have is tooth extraction.
There are several signs you should watch out for that may indicate that the pulp of your tooth is infected. Most people know that something’s wrong when they feel some kind of pain. Sometimes the pain is severe, and it doesn’t go away. When there’s pain and you also have sensitive and swollen gums, it may be because you have an infected pulp.
Another indicator is when there’s pain for several seconds when you eat or drink something that’s cold or warm. If you bite on your food and get a sharp pain, then this is another sign of an infected pulp.
There are even cases when there’s no pain at all, but the pulp is still infected. In a case like this, the only sign you’ll notice is that your tooth has become darker in color. That’s a sign that the nerves in your tooth are already dead or dying because of the infection.
We start the procedure by first checking to see if a root canal treatment is actually necessary. If it’s determined that you have an infected pulp, you will be given local anesthesia to make you feel comfortable. This will make the treatment painless, so it will feel like you’re just getting new fillings. We will then take out the infected pulp and clean out the center of the affected tooth very carefully so that bacteria won’t breed from the inside and start another infection.
Once the infected pulp is out, we will fill up the cavity so that bacteria can’t get in again. We will also cover the tooth with a crown for extra protection. Once we’re done with the root canal, you may feel some tenderness in the area. This is quite normal, but don’t worry. You’ll recover from the procedure pretty quickly.
If you notice any sign that may indicate you need a root canal, please call us at (215) 792-3055. We can schedule your dental appointment as quickly as possible to fix the problem. At Mayfair Dental Center, we always do our best to save our patient’s teeth and avoid the need for tooth extraction.
