What Are the Signs You Need a Root Canal?

A root canal is an endodontic procedure to treat an infection inside the tooth. The treatment helps eliminate bacteria infecting the dental pulp and the nerves to get rid of excruciating pain, temperature sensitivity, et cetera from a specific tooth.

You may only realize you need a root canal if recommended by the dentist in Vernon, BC, during your routine exam when they notice infections in your teeth that might expand to reach the dental pulp unless treated promptly with fillings. You may fear a root canal and think the pain or illness will heal without treatment from the dentist. Unfortunately, dental infections do not heal but worsen with time until you eventually need a painful root canal.

Common Signs You Need a Root Canal

To help you determine the common signs that indicate you need a root canal include excruciating pain in a specific tooth when chewing or biting, pimples on your gums, chipped or cracked teeth left untreated, lingering temperature sensitivity to hot and cold even after removing the sensation, swollen or tender gums, and deep decay or darkening of your gums.

You will likely ignore the symptoms thinking as you did earlier when the Vernon dentist suggested preventive measures against deep decay and chipped or cracked teeth. However, now that your tooth has allowed bacteria to penetrate and infect the dental pulp, a root canal is the only solution to preserve your tooth and prevent extraction. Therefore if you have untreated cavities or chips and cracks on your teeth, you will find it helpful to receive dental fillings and other restorative treatments to ensure your mouth bacteria do not penetrate your tooth to create concerning problems.

How Can a Dentist Tell You Need a Root Canal?

Dentists knowing the symptoms of root canals, will not decide on them merely by seeing your tooth. Instead, dentists take X-rays to determine the severity of the damage in your tooth before suggesting root canal treatment in Vernon. Dentists will also gather all information about your dental and medical history before asking you to commit to a severe procedure to eradicate an infection inside your tooth.

Root canals have a fearsome reputation as a painful therapy. However, when you receive the treatment from the endodontist in Vernon, BC, you will likely not experience discomfort because the specialist is an expert in pain management and ensures you receive adequate anesthesia to numb your tooth during the treatment, which they complete in approximately 45 minutes.

The pain you anticipate from a root canal starts four to six hours after receiving the treatment resulting from the treatment and not root canal symptoms because the endodontist would have removed the infected dental pulp and nerves from inside the tooth to provide freedom from the excruciating pain and temperature sensitivity. The discomfort will likely bother you for about 72 hours and begin subsiding afterward. The specialist also helps you manage the pain by recommending painkillers and after-care instructions for the treated tooth.

Besides being experts in pain management, endodontists have the infrastructure and tools to evaluate teeth and determine whether they need a root canal or are best treated using other methods. For example, if you visit the Vernon dentist with a cavity in your tooth without the symptoms of a root canal, they will likely not recommend the treatment because restoring your tooth with dental fillings helps resolve the issue and prevents further damage. However, if you refuse a dental filling or preventive therapies, the condition quickly aggravates to make you need a root canal or tooth replacements because extracting the tooth is the only option if you refuse specialized endodontic treatment to preserve your tooth.

What Happens After Receiving a Root Canal?

After receiving a root canal, you must follow the endodontist’s instructions and care for your tooth as suggested. You must avoid strenuous exercise and physical activities for the initial 48 hours and refrain from crunchy and spicy foods besides avoiding smoking or consuming alcohol. Smoking can delay healing, and alcohol interacts with the painkillers you receive to manage your discomfort.

You must also clean your teeth by brushing gently around them with a soft-bristled toothbrush remaining cautious not to remove the temporary filling placed in the tooth by the dentist until you restore it with a dental crown.

You must revisit the Vernon dentist to evaluate your tooth after you recover from the therapy in approximately ten days. The dentist will examine your tooth and recommend restoring it with a dental crown for protection because root canals weaken your tooth, leaving it fragile and prone to fractures and breakage. After you restore the truth by visiting your regular dentist or getting it from them, you can continue using the root canal-treated tooth for many years without the pain or temperature sensitivity you experienced with the infection.

If the symptoms of a root canal in this article affect you, kindly do not hesitate to visit Ryan K Dentistry to receive endodontic treatment to preserve your natural tooth. Although root canals have a fearsome reputation, the dentist makes the treatment comfortable by giving you anesthesia and sedation to ensure you think the treatment is no more challenging than getting a dental filling.