Save Your Smile with Gentle and Safe Root Canal Treatment

Are you worried you will lose your infected tooth? Not so fast. Root canals by Dr. Kurt Knechtel, dentist of Longmont Dental, Longmont, Colorado, can save and preserve your natural tooth. Root canal (endodontic) treatment removes the infected or inflamed tooth pulp to prevent further issues. Once your tooth is fully restored after a root canal, it looks and functions like other natural teeth.

Diving into the “root” of your tooth structure

While the enamel is the hardest substance in your body, it isn’t indestructible. It can be vulnerable to decay or damage, which opens the door for harmful bacteria to infiltrate your tooth. Early interventions like fillings and crowns can stop further decay of your tooth. However, if you don’t seek treatment, harmful bacteria enter your pulp chamber. At this point, neither your body’s immunity nor antibiotics can reverse the infection. A root canal is the only treatment that can save your tooth from extraction. 

Signs you may need a root canal

Toothache is the classic symptom of tooth infection. The other symptoms that indicate you should see a root canal dentist include:

• Tooth sensitivity when taking cold or hot foods
• Swollen and tender gums
• Visibly cracked or fractured teeth
• A discolored tooth (infected teeth tend to appear dark)
• Dental abscess
• Facial swelling

Sometimes you may not have visible symptoms, but trouble could be brewing in your pulp chamber. In such cases, the issue can be diagnosed using dental X-rays during your routine checkups. Even without typical tooth infection symptoms, we still recommend root canal treatment. Otherwise, if we ignore your tooth, it will eventually die off. 

The root canal treatment: What to expect

A root canal relieves you from discomfort. The perception of discomfort with root canals began decades before the invention of anesthetics and gentle treatment techniques. Today, root canal treatment is fast and convenient. While a root canal is more extensive, it’s no more uncomfortable than a cavity-filling treatment.

What does the treatment involve?

Here are the steps involved in root canals:

• Dental examination: We use dental X-rays to inspect your tooth and the surrounding tissues to confirm your tooth is viable for endodontic treatment
• Accessing your tooth: After numbing your tooth, we seal it off with a dental dam to prevent saliva from contaminating the treatment site. Then, we make a small access hole at the top of your tooth to expose the infected pulp chamber
• Cleaning: We remove the infected tissues and use small files to clean and shape your canals. After cleaning and sanitizing your tooth, we seal your canals with a rubber-like material (gutta-percha) to prevent reinfection
• Tooth restoration:  We restore your tooth with a temporary filling but later replace it with a dental crown to stabilize your treated tooth
  

Endodontic treatment benefits outweigh its cost. Root canal treatment improves the appearance of your tooth, stops further infection, and saves your tooth from extraction. With gentle treatment techniques, you have no reason to avoid a root canal if that’s all it takes to save your tooth. 

Root canal treatment near me

Only a dentist or orthodontist can tell whether you need root canal treatment. So if you suspect an infected tooth in Longmont, CO, please call (720) 815-4733 to schedule an appointment with Longmont Dental. 

It’s essential not to delay the treatment because the longer you wait, the more difficult it becomes to save your tooth.