Root Canal
Greenville, SC Root Canal
It’s interesting with root canals. I have patients who have never had a root canal, and I’ll mention the word, and their eyes glaze over and they’ll look for the exit sign. People hear root canal and they think pain. Root canal = pain. A root canal should be a comfortable procedure to have done. There are times when people have severe infection, it can be an issue getting them good and numb but that’s rare. I think the thing with root canals, as far as comfort is, the person doing the root canal needs to be efficient at it and good at it. That’s the key. And that’s the key to success too. If someone does a root canal every once in a while, they might get a good result, but they may not also get it cleaned out as well.
When it comes to root canals, I refer my patients to one of the specialists in town, that that’s all they do. There are several that we refer to, and they do an excellent job. When I have a patient come back to see me after they’ve had a root canal there, I can feel confident it’s done well.
I know it’s done better than I’m doing it, and that’s our key; what is going to be best for the patient. There are some things that patients are a whole lot better if I refer them to the specialist and we get it done well, and then we restore it and do our part afterwards.
General dentists and family dentists, we try to be the jack of all trades but there are times when there are certain things you realize that it’s a benefit to have a specialist take care of it. Kind of like impacted wisdom teeth. There’s nothing like having the oral surgeon knock you out, do his thing and you have no idea what happened which is kind of nice.
With root canals, we see a lot of folks that that’s a need that they have. But we work with a couple of the endodontics in town and they’re great about getting our patients in and taking good care of them.
A particularly bad toothache may be a sign that you need a root canal. Root canal or endodontic therapy is the removal of the dental pulp in the center of the tooth. When bacteria infect the pulp due to a deep cavity, the pulp needs to be removed to prevent the spread of infection. Once decay is gone, the space is cleaned and the tiny root canals in the tooth roots are sealed off. Finally, the tooth is restored with a dental crown. Greenville, SC dentist Dr. Brown thus saves a damaged tooth instead of extracting it.
When the Pulp Dies
The dental pulp contains soft tissues, nerves and blood vessels that bring nutrients to the tooth. When bacteria infect the pulp, it causes swelling and may put pressure on the nerve. This causes pain while you chew. Other times, there is no pain because the pulp and nerve are dead.Common causes of dental pulp infection are a deep cavity, a fractured tooth, and past or recent injury to the tooth.See Dr. Brown right away if you experience symptoms of dental pulp infection:
- Severe pain while chewing
- Prolonged teeth sensitivity
- Bad breath that won’t go away
- Pus near the tooth
The Procedure
Root canalsare one of the most dreaded dental procedures, and for no reason. In fact, root canal patients report that the procedure is no more uncomfortable than getting fillings.Root canals are performed under local anesthesia, so you will feel no pain whatsoever. If you are very anxious or terrified, Dr. Brown can use sedatives to help you relax.
Depending on the condition of your teeth, treatment may require more than one trip to the dental clinic. First, Dr. Brown will make a hole in the back or the top of the tooth. Bacteria and decayed areas are removed, and the space is cleaned, filled and sealed off. Finally the tooth is capped with a crown.
Find out if you need a root canal. Call us at (864) 322-5051 or click here to request an appointment.