Root Canal – Oral Health: What Is a Root Canal?
January 25th, 2012 | 
Author: AppId is over the quota
A root canal is a dental treatment commonly used to repair a damaged and decayed tooth and can only take place if the tooth is not infected. The dentist will use a numbing agent on your gums so that you do not feel any pain. Once the area is numbed, the dentist will proceed to remove the nerve and the pulp from the affected area. The nerve is what causes the pain in your mouth. Therefore, once the nerve is removed, the pain in your mouth will subside. In truth, removing the nerve of the tooth does not cause the tooth to deteriorate further.
After a root canal procedure, the tooth will still be able to chew up food as it normally would. In fact, you will not be able to tell the difference other than you will not experience any pain. You may also notice that your tooth can no longer sense hot and cold. That is because the nerve is what tells your tooth when something hot or cold is touching it. A root canal does not alter your eating habits. You will still be able to eat all of the same foods that you ate before.
A root canal takes place when the nerve or the pulp of a tooth is damaged. Once the nerve becomes damage, the tooth will begin to decay, leaving pieces of rotted tooth. These rotted pieces of tooth feed the growth of bacteria, which can lead to an infection or a condition known as an abscessed tooth. A pus pocket forms at the root of the affected tooth. Once the abscess occurs, it can cause an infection that spreads past the roots. Should you develop an abscess, let your dentist know as soon as possible so that you can receive the treatment that you need.
You will know if your tooth has become abscessed and if it has, the doctor will have to treat the infection before a root canal can be performed. Signs of an abscess include deterioration of the root, bones that break off around the root, swelling around the affected area that will cause the face and neck to swell, and drainage that occurs from the site of the abscess. Fortunately, once the infection is treated, your doctor can proceed with the root canal, which will cease the spread of the infection from the damaged nerve and rotted tooth area.
Queens Root Canal specialists, Atlas Park Dental in Queens, New York can help reduce the pain of a root canal almost immediately.
To find out more, visit us online and book an appointment with a Queens Dentist today.
