You have heard of root canal therapy, but do you know what this effective procedure does for your teeth? While many people experience root canals as adults, few fully grasp why the dentist performs one. Tooth-saving root canal treatment helps you keep your smile complete, avoiding the extractions that left past generations toothless.

What is Root Canal Treatment?

Looking at digital xrays before root canal treatment Orlando trustsRoot canal treatment repairs and saves your most damaged, decayed or infected teeth. During a root canal, your dentist removes damaged pulp inside the tooth, cleans the open cavity and disinfects it. He then fills and seals the space, reinforcing your tooth for years of continued use.

In grade school, we all learn how US President George Washington wore wooden dentures. If a dentist could perform root canal treatment in those days, perhaps this important man could have kept his own teeth. So although we prefer not to undergo root canals or other dental procedures, these simple treatments keep our smiles complete and our mouths pain-free.

Your dentist performs root canal therapy when your tooth exhibits cracks, a deep cavity, repeated dental treatment, or other trauma. Thanks to this procedure and composite tooth-colored fillings, when you smile no one knows you experienced a root canal. All they see is lovely, naturally white teeth.

Why is Root Canal Therapy Needed?

Tooth decay is how you know you need the root canal treatment Orlando trusts. When your tooth suffers infection or an abscess, the decay has moved deeper, beyond enamel to the dentin. The dentin leads to your nerves in the pulp. This level of infection makes a root canal the only way to save your tooth.

Without root canal therapy, the infected pulp kills your nerve structure. Your tooth roots become infected, causing you pain and swelling. The nerve structure of the tooth begins to die. As this happens, chemicals release and cause an infection at the tip of the root, leading to pain and swelling.

What Happens During Root Canal Treatment

Your root canal treatment Orlando does not take place in one visit. Your first visit identifies the problem with your tooth, with the dentist making a diagnosis and deciding upon a root canal. He takes digital X-rays or other imaging studies to examine the damaged tooth.

In another appointment made for your root canal treatment Orlando, your dentist uses local anesthesia to numb the area around the damaged tooth. He makes an opening in your tooth and removes diseased pulp. At the end of the procedure, he fills the opened roots and seals the hole. Profoundly weakened teeth sometimes require placement of a crown for support and strength. A tooth-colored crown ensures no one knows you went through this procedure.

A third visit is essential for the dentist to examine your tooth and ensure it healed completely. Altogether, root canal treatment Orlando and follow-up care cost less than the extraction of your tooth and replacement with a bridge, dentures or dental implant.

Of course, you want an experienced dentist to perform your root canal. You also need one able to recommend other treatments and dental services suited for making your smile its best. A quality dentist like S. Keith Mahan, DDS provides a range of dental services, such as:

For your healthiest, strongest bite and most attractive smile, visit S. Keith Mahan, DDS in Orlando, FL for the dental treatments your whole family needs. If you need root canal treatment or other dental work, call 407-841-7241 for a consultation.