Dental Associates of Long Island Help With Understanding Root Canals

Online, June 11, 2013 (Newswire.com) - Just reading the words root canal can make some of Dental Associates of Long Island's patients wince. It is probably one of the most well-known procedures in dentistry, yet sometimes we find that is not the most well understood procedure.

Root canals fall under the dental specialty known as endontics. This is the specialty that deals with the nerves of the teeth. When a tooth becomes infected it is usually related to the nerves in the root of the tooth. The infected nerves need to be removed. If left untreated, an infaction may turn into an abscess. An abscess is considerably more serious and includes bone loss int the jaw.

Root canal has become a scary term for dental patients to hear, but the benefits of the procedure and the modern advancements in dental technology should sooth patient concerns. Local anesthetics and pain medication allow the procedure to be performed with little to no pain in most cases. There may be some soreness following the procedure, but it is no worse than most other dental procedures.

In order to demystify root canals and make it a little less scary for patients in our Lynbrook office we explain the steps of the procedure. Those steps are:

1) The area around the tooth is numbed with a local anesthetic.

2) The dentist will then drill into the tooth to create an opening into the root canal.

3) Infected tissue is removed and the canal is cleaned.

4) The now infection-free space is filled with a sealant called gutta percha.

5) While not required we do recommend that any patient undergoing a root canal have the tooth fitted with a crown. The crown will improve the appearance of the tooth as well as help to ensure the root canal is successful.

Root canals, particularly with the final step of fitting a crown on the infected tooth, have a very high success rate. It is estimated that 95% of root canals are successful and a successful root canal typically will last a lifetime.

While there may be some soreness or pain following the root canal, the root canal should actually relieve pain patients experienced due to their infection. Signs of an infected nerve include pain associated with heat, cold, or biting hard. When experiencing any pain associated with your teeth, it is always recommended that you consult your dentist. For further information on endontics and root canals visit us at Dental Associates of Long Island.