Saving Teeth with Root Canal Therapy
Do any of these symptoms sound familiar?
- Severe pain (similar to a toothache) that occurs when biting or chewing
- Persistent sensitivity to excessively hot or cold temperatures (even after the source is gone)
- Discoloration (darkening) of a single tooth
- Swelling and tenderness in the gums around a tooth
If one or more of these fit your current dental condition, then you may be in need of root canal therapy. While root canal therapy has earned a bad reputation over the years, it’s actually an extremely helpful procedure that can rescue severely decayed or damaged teeth from extraction and even restore them back to full health. At Zahner Dental, our dedicated doctors are happy to provide this restorative treatment for their patients in many cases. With the help of root canal therapy, you can keep your smile whole, healthy, and completely natural for years to come.
What is a root canal?
“Root canal” refers to the inside of a tooth, where the blood supply is located. As your tooth is growing, small canals carry nutrients to this area and transport waste out. Root canal treatment becomes necessary when a serious crack or extensive decay allows bacteria to crawl in and infect these canals. While this is a serious problem, our team in Ellington can remedy the situation quickly and effectively – sometimes in as little as one appointment!
Root canal therapy is simple enough – one of our doctors at Zahner Dental will create an opening in the affected teeth and clean out the diseased pulp and bacteria. Then, he’ll seal the area to make sure it’s protected from further infection. In most cases, a crown is also created and placed in order to restore full form and functionality to the tooth. In most cases, no one will ever be able to tell you had root canal therapy at all!
Okay, but it will hurt?
This is the question Drs. Warren, Jonathan, and Shawn Zahner most often get asked about root canal therapy. Our patients will be thrilled to hear that the answer is a resounding “no!” With the help of local anesthetic and more refined tools, root canal therapy has become a very comfortable procedure over the years. Better yet, it’s extremely effective and has a high success rate overall – many teeth that are treated go on to last a lifetime.
Dental decay and damage happen to the best of us – just make sure to come and see us for root canal therapy at Zahner Dental before it ends up costing you your entire tooth! For years, our team has provided compassionate, comprehensive care for entire families, from simple checkups to complex restorative procedures. Call our Ellington, CT office today to schedule an appointment.
