root canal

Root canal: When is it necessary?

Brushing twice a day, flossing, and visiting your dentist for exams each year is essential for your oral health. Unfortunately, you still may require involved dental treatments even after following your dentist’s recommendations for healthy teeth and gums. Considering millions of people undergo a root canal treatment, learning when this common procedure is necessary is smart.

Broken Tooth

A chipped, broken tooth not only affects the appeal of your smile, but it can also cause damage to your underlying nerves. If the tooth is hit with severe trauma, it can also sever the nerve completely. This kills the nerve, decreasing your chances of successful tooth repair.

A root canal may be able to repair the damage to the nerve, reconnecting it to the existing tooth. After saving the damaged nerve, your dentist can bond the surface enamel to restore the broken tooth.

Abscess

An abscess develops when an infection develops in the tooth pulp and spreads to its roots. An abscessed tooth is painful, but very serious. If this infection is left untreated, it may spread to the bone, resulting in serious complications.

Antibiotics will be necessary to treat the infection, but your dentist will also perform a root canal treatment to remove bacteria and dead tissue from the tooth pulp and roots.

Cavity

Cavities are also common reasons to undergo a root canal. Since cavities form over time, they can cause bacteria to spread deep into the tooth pulp, decaying the tooth and infecting the pulp and roots. If you have a deep cavity, you may experience tooth sensitivity, pain in and around the mouth, head, and jaw, and tender, bleeding gums.

The best option for repairing deep cavities is to remove the decay by cleaning out the root canals. In many cases, removal of the damaged nerve will also be necessary.

A root canal treatment may be common, but it deserves serious thought and consideration. Contact our caring team at Florida Smile Studio to learn if this procedure will benefit you and your dental health.

The ins and outs of a root canal

The term root canal actually refers to an area inside the tooth that houses the tooth pulp and the nerve that serves the tooth. When a tooth becomes seriously infected or severely decayed, clearing out this area of the tooth can be the best way to preserve it. Without the option of this root canal procedure, the tooth might have to be extracted.

Purpose of a Root Canal

A root canal is used to preserve a tooth that has been severely damaged by infection, decay, or trauma. The procedure removes the infected or decayed tissue, preventing further damage to adjacent teeth, or wider-spread infection. Usually when a dentist recommends a root canal, it is because the only other option is removal of the tooth.

Using a root canal to preserve a tooth helps keep your teeth in proper alignment. If the tooth is simply removed, you run the risk of having teeth shift and move into the empty space, disrupting your bite and possibly leading to uncomfortable side effects such as teeth grinding or temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD).

The Root Canal Procedure

Although the root canal dental procedure has a bad reputation, it is no more difficult or uncomfortable than a filling or a crown. Our dentist makes a small hole in the tooth, through which special tools are inserted and used to remove the infected tissue. After the infection and/or decay has been removed, the interior of the tooth is then thoroughly cleansed and filled. After this process, the dentist prepares the tooth for a crown.

After a root canal, there is no feeling left in the tooth, because the nerve has been removed. However, the tooth remains functional so that you can chew normally. With the original tooth left in place, your remaining teeth remain in proper alignment, preventing misalignment that can occur due to tooth loss.

If you feel you might be in need of a root canal to help preserve a damaged tooth, please contact our dentist in Fort Lauderdale to schedule an appointment or a consultation.

Root canal to treat nerve issues

Endodontics is a branch of dentistry that specializes in treating problems with the tooth’s interior, or tooth pulp. When problems develop with this part of the tooth, a root canal procedure is often necessary. This procedure is usually performed by our endodontist.

What is the Root Canal?

Your teeth are made of several parts. The exterior portion is the tooth enamel, which is the hardest substance in the human body. Beneath the enamel lies the dentin. The dentin is filled with microscopic pores that transmit sensation from the tooth surface to the tooth’s interior. This interior is called the root canal.

Each individual tooth has a root canal. Root canals vary in size depending upon the size of the tooth. This cavity holds a mixture of nerve tissue, connective tissue, and tissue that supplies circulation to the tooth. The pulp’s main purposes are to transmit sensation such as heat, cold, and pressure, and to regenerate dentin.

The Root Canal Procedure

Root canals can become damaged or infected due to various problems such as:

• Severe trauma
• Severe decay
• Cracks caused as a side effect of tooth restoration

Once bacteria and infection enter the root canal, they can spread through the root into surrounding bone and other tissues. Infection can affect adjoining teeth, the jawbone, facial bones, the sinuses, and even the brain if spread is left unchecked. Because infection can spread into such vital areas, it’s important to have any infection treated in early stages.

To prevent these serious side effects, our specialist might recommend a root canal procedure. This procedure removes all the pulp tissue as well as the infection. The tooth interior is sterilized and refilled with a special resin, then the tooth itself is fitted with a crown. The tooth continues to be usable, although it no longer experiences any sensation since the nerve has been removed. When a tooth becomes this seriously damaged and infected, this procedure is often the best—and sometimes only—way to preserve it.

If you’re having tooth pain, contact our office today to schedule an appointment!

The purpose and procedure of a root canal

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The term root canal actually refers to an area inside the tooth that houses the tooth pulp and the nerve that serves the tooth. When a tooth becomes seriously infected or severely decayed, clearing out this area of the tooth can be the best way to preserve it. Without the option of this root canal procedure, the tooth might have to be extracted.

Purpose of a Root Canal

A root canal is used to preserve a tooth that has been severely damaged by infection, decay, or trauma. The procedure removes the infected or decayed tissue, preventing further damage to adjacent teeth, or wider-spread infection. Usually when a dentist recommends a root canal, it is because the only other option is removal of the tooth.

Using a root canal to preserve a tooth helps keep your teeth in proper alignment. If the tooth is simply removed, you run the risk of having teeth shift and move into the empty space, disrupting your bite and possibly leading to uncomfortable side effects such as teeth grinding or temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD).

The Root Canal Procedure

Although the root canal dental procedure has a bad reputation, it is no more difficult or uncomfortable than a filling or a crown. The dentist makes a small hole in the tooth, through which special tools are inserted and used to remove the infected tissue. After the infection and/or decay has been removed, the interior of the tooth is then thoroughly cleansed and filled. After this process, the dentist prepares the tooth for a crown.

After a root canal, there is no feeling left in the tooth, because the nerve has been removed. However, the tooth remains functional so that you can chew normally. With the original tooth left in place, your remaining teeth remain in proper alignment, preventing misalignment that can occur due to tooth loss.

If you feel you might be in need of a root canal to help preserve a damaged tooth, please contact the office of Dr. Burak Taskonak to schedule an appointment or a consultation.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

ROOT CANALS

One of the many types of patients coming in seeking dental attention, are those who complain of extreme pain or sensitivity due to their need for a Root Canal.

But what exactly is a Root Canal?

Root Canals are necessary when the tooth is decaying, and there is risk of permanent damage to the tooth’s pulp (or has already damaged it). The infected tooth needs to be treated before the infection spreads to the bloodstream, and before causing severe pain to the patient.

How do I know if I need a root canal?

Dr. Taskonak will evaluate the area and examine you after one of our assistants has taken a dental x-ray to confirm if you need a root canal before recommending any course of treatment. Symptoms vary from case to case, but may include:

• A sensitivity to food and beverages that are either very hot, or very cold. This may be harder to notice if you have always had sensitive teeth.
• Pressure, and even sharp pain, in the tooth and jaw area. At times, this can extend to the neck and ears.
• Gums that feel swollen, and may appear infected.
• A single tooth becoming sensitive to touch or pressure.
• Dull, constant pain in one area of the jaw.

How does Dr. Taskonak treat root canals?

During a root canal procedure, you will first be injected with a local anesthetic to prevent discomfort. Your teeth, gums, skin, and sometimes even the tongue in the affected area will be numbed. Nitrous oxide (or “laughing gas”) can also be used for relaxation. Once the anesthesia has a chance to begin working, Dr. Taskonak begins the root canal treatment. Using a dental drill, the pulp of the tooth is removed. A filling, and antibacterial medication, are added to the inside part of the tooth. Often, a crown is needed to cap the tooth to prevent the tooth form breaking.