Dental Care and Special Needs: Planning for Success

Posted on: 16 August 2021

Root canal treatment sounds painful, but it usually isn't. In fact, root canal treatment is far more beneficial than it is painful. When oral bacteria infect teeth, the infection can quickly spread without dental treatment. And the best way to treat a tooth infection is with root canal treatment.

Root canal treatment is beneficial to infected teeth in several different ways:

Root canal treatment stops infection from spreading

Once infection sets in, without treatment, that infection can quickly worsen. The space inside a tooth is tiny. And this leaves very little room for the bacteria and the infected material. As a result, the pus leaks out into the surrounding area. The infection then spreads to the gum tissue and the surrounding bone tissue.

With early root canal treatment, a dentist can remove the infected material and prevent the infection from spreading and worsening.

Root canal treatment prevents loss of infected teeth

When a tooth infection spreads to the periodontal ligaments and bone that hold a tooth in place, that tooth will soon loosen. This is because the infected material gradually destroys periodontal tissues and bone. Eventually, an infected tooth may loosen and fall out. But this can be prevented with a timely root canal.

Root canal treatment prevents bone loss

Bone loss in your jaw is a serious issue. Tooth infections can gradually eat away at the bone surrounding infected teeth. Not only will this lead to the loss of the infected tooth, but it could also alter a patient's facial structure. Once you lose a tooth, the bone surrounding that tooth begins to deteriorate too. To prevent this, a timely root canal is necessary.

Root canal treatment is less painful than a tooth extraction

Extracting infected teeth is difficult and painful at times. And unless a tooth infection is serious, many dentists will try to save a tooth with a root canal rather than extract a tooth. Since tooth replacement can be costly, and you lose bone after tooth loss, root canal treatment is often a wiser choice when a tooth is infected.

Root canal treatment leaves your teeth looking better than before

Finally, once a dentist treats a tooth with a root canal, they usually fill the tooth and place a dental crown over it. Dental crowns look like natural teeth, so they can improve the appearance of a tooth that was infected. Instead of extracting an infected tooth and damaging your appearance, you can opt to have a root canal followed by the placement of a dental crown.

If you think you may need a root canal, contact a dentist near you.