Root Canal Treatment – Huntsville, OH

Helping You Avoid Pain & Tooth Loss

While a toothache is bad, you may not think it’s a big deal. Perhaps you believe it’ll fade before things go back to normal. However, you shouldn’t ignore persistent tooth pain. This discomfort could mean you have a dental infection. Leaving it alone may cause tooth loss and worse. Still, Northwest Family Dental offers root canal treatment here in Huntsville. This service can soothe your ache and save your smile. Read on to learn more, or book a visit to our office.

Do I Need Root Canal Treatment?

A woman looking at her dentist while holding her cheek in pain

Put simply, a root canal treatment is a way to cure an infected tooth. The latter occurs when harmful bacteria reach a pearly white’s pulp. Thus, a root canal is needed when you show the telltale signs of a dental infection. The most common of these symptoms are:

Persistent Tooth Pain – True enough, occasional tooth pain is a typical thing. However, you likely have an infection if that ache is persistent.
Tooth Sensitivity – When a tooth hurts from hot or cold temperatures, there’s a chance it’s infected.
Discolored Tooth – Once a tooth’s pulp is infected, its surface may turn dark.
Tooth Looseness – Infected pulp has pus that can soften the bone beneath a tooth. Therefore, this tooth may feel looser.
Swollen Gums – An infected tooth's pulp can collect in the gums, making them swollen or tender.

The Root Canal Process

A dentist performing a root canal on a young woman

Root canal treatment tends to be involved and invasive. To perform it well, a dentist must follow a specific multi-step process.

Firstly, the dentist will numb your mouth with local anesthesia. This measure keeps you from feeling pain during the subsequent work. The most you’ll sense is some mild pressure as the dentist proceeds.

Once the affected area is numb, the dentist starts the actual treatment. They’ll begin by using dental tools to reach your tooth’s inner chamber and remove its pulp. Then, they’ll sanitize this interior and refill it with gutta-percha – a material that acts as a filling. The dentist will wrap things up by sealing the tooth and protecting it with a temporary crown.

You’ll attend a follow-up visit a few weeks after the initial treatment. At that time, you’ll receive your permanent crown. This cap will protect your treated tooth and ensure it stays safe!

The Benefits of Getting a Root Canal

A dentist holding a mock tooth model while making the okay sign

There are many perks to root canal treatment. By getting it, you’ll experience the following:

Lifelike Results – Since a treated tooth’s crown is tooth-colored, it’ll hide any prior damage.
Dental Protection – A dental crown protects your tooth from further harm. So, it and your root canal will work to prevent more decay.
No Tooth Loss – By removing the infected pulp, a root canal saves your tooth. That means you won’t need to have it extracted or replaced.
Pain Relief – Infected tooth pulp tends to cause a lot of pain. A root canal removes this material and eases your discomfort.