This is a question that is foremost on your mind when the dentist examines your tooth and says you need Root Canal treatment.
The fear of pain after hearing from others is actually greater than the procedure itself.
Let me explain why.
A tooth, as you can see it in your mouth is only the top part. It has roots which carry the nerve and blood supply to your tooth. You never know all this till one day; it starts hurting.
This pain may be just an uncomfortable sensitivity like when you drink something cold or hot. You may also find it difficult to bite on that side. When you don’t report to the dentist in this early stage, you can get a swelling or an abscess. It is now obvious that the tooth has an infection. This could be acute or slowly developing over a period of time. Of course, there will be pain.
Why does a tooth get infected?
The reasons could be many.
A tooth decay can invade the nerve and pulp of the tooth and bacteria attacks the nerve. A faulty or traumatic bite where there is too much pressure on the tooth could also be a cause. At other times it could be from an accident or an old and faulty filling.
Once bacteria enters the canal in which the nerve is situated, inflammation and infection sets in. This causes the tooth to ache.
Root canal therapy is a process that eliminates the infection and therefore the pain that accompanies it.
The infected contents of the canal are cleaned out and the passage rendered dry and sterile. In order to prevent further infection, the roots are sealed with a non-reactive inert material called Gutta Percha, a root filling material that is obtained from the bark of a tree and is a natural product.
All these processes are done after numbing your tooth with local anaesthetic. Sometimes, more than one sitting is required to eliminate the infection completely, but it is totally painless.
Prolonging treatment on account of fear may end up in the loss of your precious tooth.
Once the treatment is over, the tooth is protected with a cap so that the tooth is fit again to take the forces of chewing.
We need our teeth for our lifetime, let us preserve them as best as we can with a bit of help from Root Canal Therapy!
