Endodontic therapy, the most common form of which is a root canal procedure, involves addressing infected inner tooth material. The inner material, or pulp, of the tooth can become infected for many reasons, such as age, prolonged poor oral health, and other reasons. Root canals help to remove this infected material and replace it with a synthetic material that helps to prevent future infection and that helps save the tooth from extraction. When infected tooth roots are left untreated, this can result in extreme pain as well as further infections in different parts of the mouth. This can also lead to jawbone decay and other complications in the jaw that can lead to much more care being needed. This is why having infected teeth corrected at the first sign of trouble is key to maintaining a healthy smile free of root infections.

Teeth that have infected roots are not always extremely painful, but other signs of tooth infections can include:

• Severe toothaches,
• Pain when chewing or extreme tooth sensitivity,
• Discoloration of the teeth, particularly a dark color, 
• Swelling and soreness around the area of the infected tooth. 

What happens during endodontic therapy?

Root canals will often involve a few different visits to the dentist, being that the first visit will involve an assessment where our team will determine whether or not you in fact you require a root canal. During the root canal procedure itself, which is performed during a separate visit, the infected material within the tooth is removed and replaced with a synthetic material that prevent further tooth infections and also prevents the need to extract the tooth. After a root canal is completed, simple brushing and flossing is enough to properly maintain these now safe teeth and prevent further infections in the future. 

The purpose of root canals and endodontic therapy in general is to prevent teeth from extractions, but teeth may require extractions in the events of:

• Severely damaged tooth roots, 
• Teeth not having enough support from the underlying jawbone, 
• Teeth not being able to be restored from their current shape, 
• Events where your dentist cannot access the roots of the tooth. 

Root infections and endodontic concerns should always be addressed at the first sign of root infections to have these issues corrected before they develop into more severe oral health complications. Speak with our team at the office of Dr. Jason Dopp today to learn more about endodontic treatments at our office, and to learn if you may require endodontic treatments.