Root canal therapy is the standard way that dentists treat a broken tooth or teeth that have been severely damaged by tooth decay and gum disease. A tooth might become weakened as a result of tooth decay weakening its structures or trauma causing damage to it.
Minor breaks and chips can be fixed with treatments like dental bonding, but a severe break often includes damage to the pulp chamber, where the tooth’s blood vessels and nerves are housed. When a tooth is healthy, the pulp chamber is sealed off from the bacteria and irritants in the mouth. When damage opens up the pulp chamber, irritants getting into the area leads to severe toothaches, and the tooth becomes vulnerable to infection.
Root canal treatment allows dentists to save severely damaged teeth. Local anesthetics are typically administered during the procedure, which prevents patients from feeling pain as the dentist works on them.
A visual examination and diagnostic tests like X-rays are typically performed prior to root canal therapy to ensure that it is the right course of action. Once it has been determined that the broken tooth can be saved with a root canal, the dentist will give the patient a shot of a local anesthetic to start the treatment.
The procedure involves the dentist using a drill to make a hole in the pulp chamber of the affected tooth. Different-sized dental files are then used to clean out the tooth. The area is disinfected and medication might be applied to it. The pulp chamber is then closed up with a special type of filling material known as gutta-percha. This prevents irritants and bacteria from getting back into the area, potentially leading to another infection.
The dentist might then use composite bonding to rebuild the damaged tooth or cover it up with a crown. Composite bonding is typically the cheaper option, but crowns are a longer-lasting solution. The location of the tooth often influences which restoration that the doctor recommends. Composite bonding might be okay for teeth located in the front of the mouth that do not handle large bite force, but molars at the back of the mouth need crowns to protect them after a root canal.
Removing the nerves and blood vessels in a tooth does not have an adverse effect on a fully grown tooth. It can continue to get the nutrients that it needs to remain healthy from the blood vessels that are feeding adjacent teeth.
There is no recovery period after getting a tooth canal, so patients will be free to get back to their regular schedule afterward. Any pain and discomfort caused by the damaged tooth should be gone by that point.
Dealing with a broken tooth? Call or visit our Fort Lee clinic to learn more about how our dentist can use the root canal procedure to save severely damaged teeth.
Request an appointment here: https://fortleefamilydental.com or call Fort Lee Family Dental at (201) 620-9772 for an appointment in our Fort Lee office.
Check out what others are saying about our dental services on Yelp: Can a Cracked Tooth be Saved with a Root Canal and Crown in Fort Lee, NJ.
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