If you have recently visited your dentist on Yonge Street for tooth pain, only to find out you need a root canal you might be a little worried about how much it’s going to hurt or you might not know exactly what to expect. Root canal therapy has a bit of scary stigma attached, but having a root canal when it’s needed can help save your tooth and improve your overall dental health. When you’re unsure about a root canal, here’s what you can expect and how it can help you long term.

Save Money

If your dentist on Yonge is suggesting a root canal, it is because the affected tooth is dying or infected, or both. There are alternatives to having a root canal, of course, and the most common one is tooth extraction. Depending on which tooth needs the root canal, you might not wish to have a gap in your smile, so you’d need to arrange for an implant, bridge or crown to be put in after the tooth is pulled. These options are pretty expensive, and insurance doesn’t always cover all the costs. So pulling the tooth might seem like the easier route, but if you don’t fill the space you might find your teeth shifting over time to accommodate, and you might even have issues with proper chewing function.

 Remove Infection

A tooth that is dying usually has some kind of infection deep in the pulp of the tooth. If this infection is not treated with appropriate antibiotics (which your dentist will prescribe) and the tooth is not cared for properly, then the infection could spread to the bone of your jaw and even your bloodstream, and that is very dangerous to your health.

Prevent Cracked Teeth

When a tooth needs a root canal it is because it’s dying, and those kinds of teeth can become very brittle which makes them vulnerable to cracking. If your tooth cracks, the only option is to perform a tooth extraction and leaving a gap in your smile. An early root canal can save the natural tooth, and make sure it doesn’t crack or chip causing more discomfort and long-term complications.

Retain Your Smile

Once the root canal is performed, your dentist will cover the tooth with a crown. For many years, crowns were only available in a metal finish (usually gold) but with recent dental technologies, improving the crowns are custom made to match the shade of your natural teeth. This way, no one will even know it’s a crown and you’re preserving your natural tooth.

Relieve Pain

As a tooth is dying, it’s very painful for the person experiencing it. When a root canal is performed, the dentist will freeze the area and you won’t feel the procedure being performed. As the freezing wears off, you are most likely to not feel any pain because the dentist has removed all the infection, pulp and nerves within the tooth. Many people often report that a root canal actually helped them to feel less pain than before, even though the procedure itself is thought to be painful.

If you think you might be in need of root canal therapy, contact our dental office conveniently located on Yonge Street.