Do you use your teeth to open plastic packaging or bottles? Perhaps you chew on ice cubes and pen caps. If you’re biting down and chewing on inedible items, you’re putting your teeth at risk. Repeatedly biting down on hard, non-food items could lead to needing root canal treatment.
The Root Canal
Inside teeth is a hollowed area called the root canal. This part of tooth anatomy contains cellular material (also known as dental pulp) and nerve endings. When teeth are healthy, this hollowed area is sealed off from debris and oral bacteria. Cracked teeth as well as those with untreated tooth decay and failing restorations can develop infections in the root canal.
An infected root canal is dangerous. The nerves and dental pulp have no means to fight off harmful oral bacteria and ultimately become infected. Since nerve endings are involved, having an infected root canal can be incredibly painful. The fact that infected root canals can abscess without treatment only adds further insult to injury.
Why Root Canal Treatment is Necessary
Root canal therapy is an endodontic procedure that relieves discomfort and extends the life of an infected tooth. Receiving root canal therapy could literally prevent the need for tooth extractions.
If the root canal isn’t treated quickly, the infection will spread deep down the roots of teeth and ultimately to adjacent tissue like the bone and gums.
How Root Canal Therapy Works
Root canal therapy involves cleaning and removing the hollowed section inside a tooth. Using tiny, precise dental instruments, our team will access the root canal and extract the dental pulp and nerve endings.
Once the contents of the root canal are removed, it is cleaned, flushed, and sealed. This means that a person will be able to eat and speak without difficulty after healing from their procedure. The pain associated with inflamed nerve endings subsides, too.
Cracked and damaged teeth can lead to painful infections. This is why it’s important to avoid biting down on hard objects. For more information or to schedule a consultation, contact our team at Crosspointe Dental & Orthodontics.
