Root Canal

What is a root canal?

A root canal refers to two things: the inner part of the tooth and a type of treatment for this area. The root canal in the inner part of your tooth hosts soft tissue and nerves, while the treatment targets any damage and pain in this area.

Every single one of your teeth contains nerves and blood vessels. As you age, the nerves in your permanent teeth have a fundamental function: to regulate your sensitivity to hot and cold. When these nerves are damaged, you run the risk of severe toothache, infection, and swelling.

Root canal treatment is a highly effective way to eliminate damaged pulp — the area of the teeth where these nerves live. During this treatment, Dr. Welch removes infected pulp and seals the tooth with a permanent crown and filling.

A successful root canal treatment not only restores your chewing abilities — but it also strengthens your biting force and protects neighboring teeth from infection.

While this may sound scary, root canal treatment is an incredibly safe and standard procedure.

What causes root canal pain?

There are three leading causes of root canal pain:

• Decay: when the decay inside of your tooth rises to its outer layer
• Damage: chipped or cracked teeth can cause significant damage to the nerves
• Disease: gum disease or other bacteria-related conditions can severely affect the nerve

Depending on the nature and extent of your pain, Dr. Welch might recommend root canal treatment to ensure your permanent comfort.

When do you need root canal treatment?

Root canal pain doesn’t automatically mean that you need root canal treatment. You should consider getting in touch with Dr. Welch to find out whether you need root canal treatment if you’ve experienced any of the following symptoms:

• Darkening or other discoloration of the tooth
• Gum tenderness and swelling
• Bumps on your gum
• Intense and continuous sensitivity to hot and cold
• Extreme pain while eating

You should call Muncie Dental Care & Denture Center even if you’ve only experienced one of these symptoms. The sooner Dr. Welch sees you, the lower your chances of severe infection.

What foods shouldn’t you eat after root canal treatment?

Dr. Welch recommends that you stay clear of the following types of foods in the days following the procedure:

• Hot and spicy foods
• Chewy or sticky food
• Crunchy foods
• Hard foods

You should also avoid drinking alcohol or smoking.

Since the root canal treatment ends with Dr. Welch placing a permanent crown in the treatment area, you should make sure to maintain proper oral hygiene to preserve the treatment’s effect.

Get in touch with Dr. Welch today by phone or online to eliminate your root canal pain.