Comfortable Treatment for Infected Root Canals
Treating tooth decay is a routine part of professional dental care, though root canal treatment isn’t as often recommended as tooth fillings or other, less invasive measures. Root canal treatment is designed to remove the decay (i.e., harmful oral bacteria and infected tooth structures/tissues) from within an affected tooth. That includes its internal structures, not just the main body of the tooth, which is why a more conservative tooth filling may not be enough. If your tooth develops severe, internal decay, then we might suggest root canal treatment to alleviate the pain and restore your tooth.
What Root Canal Treatment Means
Your tooth’s root canal is the inner chamber of its root, which extends into your jawbone. Inside the canal, your tooth’s nerves, blood vessels, and other vital tissues travel from the pulp at the center of the tooth to your jawbone. Internal decay means the tissues inside of your tooth pulp and root canal have become infected, which creates the risk of the infection spreading. Root canal treatment involves carefully accessing the interior pulp chamber and root canal so we can remove the infected tissues and tooth structure. Once the structures are sanitized, we can restore them by filling the root canal, pulp chamber, and main tooth structure with strong, biocompatible material, then capping the tooth with a lifelike dental crown.
Enhanced Comfort with the Help of Lasers
In many cases, we may suggest performing root canal treatment with the help of our advanced Solea Laser instead of a traditional dental drill. The Solea Laser allows us to more carefully and precisely sculpt your tooth tissue to access the pulp and root canal, allowing for greater preservation of your remaining healthy tooth structure. The laser is also significantly quieter and more comfortable than a traditional drill, and patients often report that they don’t need sedation during laser treatment.
Schedule a visit to learn about root canal treatment
When a tooth has become infected on the inside, root canal treatment may be necessary to remove the infection and save what remains of your healthy tooth structure. To learn if we can save your tooth with root canal treatment, schedule a consultation by calling Dimples Family Dentistry in Norwalk, IA, today at (515) 256-1176.