The thing about your dental health is that, even though symptoms like toothaches are common and often obvious, the reasons behind them and appropriate treatment options are not always as clear. For instance, if you have a severe toothache, you may not realize that you need root canal therapy, and hesitating could lead to the loss or extraction of your tooth. Likewise, if you believe that you need root canal treatment, you may actually still have time to save your tooth with a less invasive filling, unless you hesitate to seek treatment.
What Root Canal Treatment Means
For most toothaches, the underlying problem is some level of tooth decay (the disease that causes cavities). Treating tooth decay depends on its severity, and in mild to moderate cases, a tooth filling is ideal to restore your tooth and stop the aching. In more severe cases, though, your tooth’s infection can reach the pulp chamber that houses the nerves and threaten the root that supports your tooth. Root canal treatment is the process of removing the infection, then sealing the pup and root canal so that it doesn’t become weak due to the removal of its infected interior.
How to Know if Your Root Canal Is in Trouble
When a tooth becomes infected badly enough to need root canal treatment, the most common symptom is severe, chronic tooth pain. Internal infection means harmful bacteria have directly reached your tooth’s nerves, and the discomfort is much worse than that of a mild cavity. If your experience sudden, severe tooth pain, then your dentist can perform a thorough examination to determine if it is internally decaying and requires root canal treatment, or if you may still be able to treat it with a filling.
Find Out if You Need Root Canal Treatment
The need for root canal treatment may seem obvious, but to be sure, you should attend a thorough examination at your dentist’s office to ensure you receive the right treatment. To learn more, schedule an appointment by calling Lathrop Dental Center in Katy, TX at 832-437-3849. We proudly welcome patients and families from Katy, Fulshear, Weston Lakes, Simonton, Richmond, Rosenberg, Brookshire, Wallis, Orchard, Cypress, Sealy, Columbus, and all surrounding communities.
