How root canal treatment from your dentist in Batavia can save your tooth

Tooth pain can drive you crazy. Fortunately, there are ways to eliminate tooth pain, like getting a filling. But what happens if you have a new filling and your tooth still hurts? What do you do now? The answer may be root canal therapy. John C. Koechley, D.D.S. in Batavia, IL wants to share the signs you may need a root canal.

Root canal therapy is the state-of-the-art way to eliminate tooth pain and still let you keep your tooth. There are some definite recognizable signs and symptoms you may need a root canal. You need to watch out for:

• Pain that continues even after a filling is placed
• Increasing pain when you eat or drink hot or cold foods and beverages
• Radiating pain that moves into your face, head, and jaws
• Chronic or increasing aching or stabbing tooth pain
• A white or red bump on your gums near the root of a tooth
• Bleeding or drainage near a tooth

Root canal treatment works by removing the diseased and dying tissue from inside of your tooth. The dentist will create a small opening in the top of your tooth and draw out the infected tissue using ultra-thin instruments called files. He will place a sedative material inside your tooth to reduce inflammation and heal your tooth.

After your tooth has healed completely and is no longer painful, we will fill the tooth with an inert material and your tooth will be sealed up permanently with a small filling. Your tooth pain is gone, and your tooth is saved! Root canal treatment typically takes at least two or three appointments, depending on how infected the tooth is.

During a root canal, the blood supply and nerves are removed which can make the tooth brittle and prone to breakage. That’s why it is recommended to place a crown on a tooth that has had a root canal. The crown protects the tooth like a suit-of-armor.

If you have a tooth that hurts, think about root canal therapy. It’s the safe, effective way to eliminate tooth pain while still keeping your tooth. For more information about root canal therapy and other restorative and cosmetic dental procedures call John C. Koechley, D.D.S. in Batavia, IL today!