If a tooth develops a cavity, we offer relief with a dental filling. But what if that cavity has become an infection? To stop discomfort and keep your tooth intact, we could offer an endodontic treatment known as a root canal. In today’s blog, your Leawood, KS, dentist talks about saving smiles with a safe and gentle root canal procedure.
The Onset of a Dental Infection
How do you know if you have an infected tooth? A dental infection is usually caused by issues like injury to the tooth or an untreated cavity. The most common warning sign is persistent pain in a tooth. You could have sensitivity when you eat or drink. You may also notice toothaches that don’t decrease in severity after a day or two. For others, warning signs could include swelling near the tooth, pain in the face or jaw, a discharge from the tooth, fever, or headaches. Don’t ignore persistent pain in and around a tooth, let us know right away. Otherwise, you risk the loss of your tooth and the spread of infection into the teeth or into your jaw!
Root Canal Therapy
To help save the tooth and bring relief from persistent pain, we could conduct a root canal. We will open the tooth so we can access and remove the reissues from within. Once we do, we will clean the inside of your tooth thoroughly and replace the tissues we remove with a restorative filling material known as gutta percha. The last step is to cap the tooth with a crown, one custom-made to ensure it looks natural and provides a balanced bite, protecting the rest of your natural tooth structure.
Ensuring You Stay Comfortable
We take steps to ensure your treatment is a comfortable and positive experience, even if you have anxiety about the dentist. Our team can offer a local anesthetic to numb the tooth directly. We can also discuss sedation to help you enter a deep state of calm and relaxation, often with little to no memory of the procedure. We have mild nitrous oxide which wears off right away when the process ends. If you need more substantial calming, we could offer oral conscious sedation or even IV sedation.
If you have any questions about how we diagnose and treat an infected tooth with a root canal procedure, then contact our team today to learn more. We want to help you smile with comfort and confidence, so reach out today to learn more and get started!
Schedule a Visit for Your Root Canal
Don’t let your painful infection lead to discomfort and tooth loss, we can help with endodontic treatment! To learn more about treating an infected tooth, call Dreem Dentistry in Leawood, KS, today at (913)681-5500.
