Things You Need To Know About Root Canal Pain

Term ‘root canal’ is famous due to the horror stories of pain associated with it. However, you may wonder if this procedure is this much painful. Good news is that root treatment is no longer painful in the way it was a few years back.

What causes the pain?

One thing that you need to keep in mind is that root canal treatment is not the source of pain. The matter of fact is that root canal treatment aims at treating the pain due to infection in the pulp. Although there had been discomfort associated with the procedure in the past, it is no longer the case due to the use of anesthesia. The discomfort due to procedure is generally nothing more than what you get while getting your tooth filled.

One thing that you need to keep in mind here is that the pain is mainly due to infected and damaged nerve. Root canal treatment involves cleaning of the tooth’s inner chamber by clearing the infected tissues and nerves. It means that you will be able to get relief from what’s causing the pain with the help of root canal treatment. There might be some pain and discomfort in the surgery site for a few days but this discomfort is going to subside eventually. You can control pain and swelling with the help of medications that your dentist is going to prescribe you. Normally, the discomfort after the procedure is too little that you can go to work almost immediately.

Is tooth extraction a better choice?

You may think about getting the tooth extracted to solve the problem once and for all. However, most of the dentists agree on the fact that keeping the natural tooth is more preferable as compared to having bridge or even implant after getting the tooth extracted. If you want to retain the functionality of an infected tooth, you can go for the root canal therapy. Remember, it is always going to be more preferable removing the infected pulp rather than pulling an entire tooth and put the health of entire jaw at stake.

Now, you may be able to know about the effectiveness of root canal treatment. If you are feeling the discomfort and you think that root canal can help you get the issue resolved, don’t be afraid of going to the dentist. Remember, the tooth preserved after root canal treatment can stay in your mouth for the rest of your life. All you have to do is to make sure that you take care of your oral hygiene and follow the instructions by your dentist.

Apicoectomy: Things You Need To Know

You may have heard about root canal treatment. It is the traditional treatment in which the infected pulp is removed from the pulp chamber of the tooth in order to prevent infection from spreading into the tooth’s root area and further into the jawbone.

Root canal treatments are generally successful for most of the people. However, there can be a scenario in which the area gets infected again. It usually happens when infected debris is not cleared from the tooth. This debris can prevent proper healing of the surgery site. The treatment you can go for in this regard is known as apicoectomy.

Reason your dentist may decide to perform apicoectomy

Apicoectomy is an endodontic surgery which is performed when traditional root canal treatment fails to remove entire infection from the area. Those remnants of dead nerves and tissues can lead to re-infection mainly in the tooth’s root’s tip, which is called apex.

Apicoectomy mainly refers to the treatment of problem by removing the apex and infected area surrounding the apex. This procedure is not the simple one. This is the reason that dentists do not recommend it until they are sure that it remains to the only option in the end. The major benefit of this treatment is that it can help preserving the tooth which otherwise needs to be extracted.

Things involved in the procedure of apicoectomy

The procedure first involves an incision which is made in the gum near the infected tooth. This incision gives dentist the access to infected tooth and the surrounding infected tissues. Dentist then uses microscope and special tools to remove the infected area along with the end of the root tip. The end of the canal is then cleaned and sealed after the procedure is complete. Small fitting is then placed at the end of the canal to finish the process. This fitting helps in prevention of re-infection. Gum tissue is also sealed to ensure proper initiation of healing process. After the surgery is complete, the bone tissues around the tooth root start healing. Your tooth is going to regain complete function once the bone is properly healed.

Recovery after Apicoectomy

After the surgery, your dentist is going to give you instructions about how to ensure proper recovery. You will be prescribed medications and you will be told to eat or avoid certain foods. There is normally going to be swelling and numbness in the first couple of months so it is nothing to worry about. You can apply ice on the face skin above the surgery site to get relief from the pain and swelling.