Comfortable Root Canal Therapy in San Jose
Dennis Baik, DDS, offers root canals in San Jose, CA. This tooth infection treatment can preserve severely damaged teeth. You may require root canal therapy right now, though you don’t know it yet. Here, we will discuss the treatment and when you need one.
What is a Root Canal Treatment?
Root canal treatment, also called endodontic therapy or simply “root canal,” involves removing the infected dental pulp of a tooth, cleaning the tooth, and placing a filling to prevent further infection.
Without proper care, a tooth can sustain enough damage to expose the inner layer, known as the dental pulp. Inside the dental pulp are sensitive tissues like the nerves, connective tissue, and blood vessels. When a tooth becomes infected, that infection can spread into the dental pulp, which causes varying levels of pain when eating, speaking, or at any time of day.
Root canal treatment can remove the infected dental pulp, prevent the spread of the infection to other teeth, and relieve pain. This procedure will also help protect the tooth from further infection. Root canal therapy can be a lasting solution to an infected tooth.
How Does the Treatment Work?
A root canal works by creating a small hole in the tooth so that all of the infected areas can be removed. The dental pulp is removed, and often, so are the roots. You only need your tooth roots to feel sensations like hot and cold and for the tooth to grow. Once it has fully matured, removing the roots will not directly harm the tooth.
However, it can prevent the further spread of infection, so when it is necessary to remove the roots, we promptly do so. Once done, we clean the area to ensure that the infection is gone. We also typically prescribe antibiotics, which ensures that any lingering infection is eliminated.
To complete the root canal, we will seal up the hole and area where the dental pulp used to be. At Dennis Baik, DDS, we will use a filling or crown to strengthen and protect the damaged tooth further. Both fillings and crowns can now be created in a tooth color. This means that a crown can be used regardless of where your infected tooth is located, blending in seamlessly with the surrounding teeth.
Benefits of Rooth Canal Therapy
A tooth infection treatment has many benefits, including the following:
- Saves your teeth – In the past, many people needed to have their teeth pulled if they became severely infected or the dental pulp inflamed. Now, those same teeth can be saved by performing a root canal.
- Preserves facial structure – When several infected teeth are removed and not replaced, the facial muscles can start to sag. Root canals can help preserve a patient’s facial structure by treating and saving the infected teeth instead.
- Restores chewing function – Once the root canal has been completed and the filling or dental crown is in place, you can eat normally again and without restrictions.
- Brings back your smile—Saving your infected tooth or teeth will help restore your natural smile with tooth-colored fillings or crowns. Both restorations can be the exact shade of the surrounding teeth so that they blend in perfectly.
- Prevents the spread of infection – If left untreated, a tooth infection can spread through the gum line and affect the remaining healthy teeth. However, tooth infection treatment can prevent this.
Saving Infected Teeth with Care
One of the best ways to restore an infected tooth is by root canal. Dennis Baik, DDS, provides root canals in San Jose to prevent total tooth loss in patients. We are a reliable root canal specialist in the community.