Root Canals

Contrary to what you’ve seen in movies and TV shows, root canals are a fairly common procedure and aren’t all that uncomfortable. At Maple Dental, cosmetic and family dentist Gurpreet Kaur, DDS, provides comprehensive oral health care to people of all ages living in and around Georgetown Place, Maplecrest Road, Fort Wayne, and New Haven, Indiana. Dr. Kaur provides patients with exceptional root canals to restore their oral health and make their smile healthy. To get started, call the office or request an appointment online today. 

When do I need a root canal?

You need a root canal when you have an infection that’s spread to the soft, inner layer of your tooth, which is called your dental pulp. 

Some of the signs that you might have an infected tooth include:

• Darkened or discolored tooth
• A foul taste in your mouth
• Severe toothache 

Your dental pulp is made up of nerves, connective tissues, and blood vessels. This makes it a sensitive area, and when it gets infected, it can be very painful. A root canal can alleviate your pain, treat your infection, and prevent it from spreading to other parts of your mouth, like neighboring teeth or your jawbone.

What are the steps involved in getting a root canal?

Your dentist first makes a small hole, called an access hole, in the surface of your tooth. Then, they use a series of small, endodontic files to remove the infected or damaged pulp within. In some cases, your dentist might remove your tooth roots as well. Your tooth roots only serve to help you feel hot and cold sensations once your tooth has emerged and settled, so removing them doesn’t affect your mouth in any significant way, and it can be helpful in preventing the spread of infection. Your dentist might also prescribe antibiotics to ensure that all of the disease is eradicated from your tooth.

Once your tooth is free of decay and infection, the team seals up the empty cavity with a rubber-like substance called gutta-percha. Gutta-percha helps to stabilize your tooth and reinforce its structural integrity. Then, they fill the access hole in your tooth and fit you with a crown to provide your tooth with extra strength. Both the filling material and the crown can be tooth-colored, so your treated tooth blends seamlessly with the rest of your smile.

What are the benefits of a root canal?

With a root canal, your dentist can treat your infected tooth without drastically altering the natural structures of your mouth. In the past, the only way to treat a tooth that had damaged or infected pulp was to extract it entirely. With a root canal, you can keep more of your tooth in place while still restoring your oral health.

Are root canals painful?

Many people think that root canals are painful procedures, but that’s largely because of the bad reputation they’ve gotten from being used in pop culture. In reality, a root canal actually eases your pain because it removes the infection from your tooth.

The team at Maple Dental makes the actual root canal procedure as comfortable as possible with sedation dentistry. Whether that means using a local anesthetic to numb your treatment site or giving you a sedative ahead of time to make the procedure less stressful, Maple Dental specializes in painless dentistry and relaxing treatments.

Schedule your appointment by calling Maple Dental or requesting an appointment online today.