You may have heard in the past from a friend or colleague that root canal therapy is a very unpleasant treatment worse than just having a cavity. While we prefer not to perform root canal therapy because we would rather you not need restorative dental care of any kind, it is actually fairly comfortable and often necessary to preserve a tooth. Below are some damaging tooth conditions that can be treated with root canal therapy to repair the damage before tooth extraction is needed.
If you are experiencing severe symptoms of tooth decay, you may need to receive root canal therapy to save the tooth, especially if the tooth decay has reached the tooth center. Symptoms can be a dental pain, tooth sensitivity and tenderness or swelling in the gums if a cavity goes untreated for too long.
Tooth infections can also result from untreated tooth decay that affects the tooth center. This can cause swollen gums and severe dental pain, though some patients don’t feel anything if the root dies due to severe infection. A dental checkup can reveal that the tooth needs root canal therapy to treat the tooth infection and restore the healthy dental structure.
A tooth that has received dental trauma due to an accident may change color if the injury is severe enough, and this could indicate the damage has reached the inner tooth and needs root canal therapy. If you have a dental accident of any kind, contact our office for an appointment.
To learn if you would benefit from root canal therapy in Exton, Pennsylvania, contact Lionville Family Dentistry at 610-363-6660 today to see our dentist, Dr. Ted Grossman, about your oral health needs.