James E Sullivan DDS Dentist Fort Washington Maryland

If one of your teeth becomes infected, a root canal therapy can save it and prevent the need to pull it.  We understand that root canals have a bad reputation, but the reality is far different than the myth.  Root canals are an incredibly useful and important procedure because they make it possible to save an infected or damaged tooth.  Without this procedure, many people would unnecessarily lose their teeth, creating issues with their jaw and appearance, as a result.  After all, teeth are essential for speaking clearly, eating your favorite foods and even maintaining your appearance.  For example, if you lose a tooth, the jawbone in that area will lose density and your facial structure will eventually change.  Therefore, a root canal is very important to saving an infected tooth.

In order to accurately perform a Root Canal Therapy, we use special tools that allow us to get a good image of your tooth and the canals.  This is important because the canals can be difficult to locate.  We need to get all of the infection in order to save your tooth, so this ability to diagnose correctly is critical. Once we identify all of the infected areas, we can begin the treatment.

To access the infected area of a tooth, we must make a small hole in the tooth. Unlike a cavity with surface tooth decay, a root canal is necessary to remove the infection from the interior of the tooth and the dental pulp.  The roots run through the dental pulp, which can extend the infection or contribute to your discomfort.  One the hole has been created, we will pull out the infected area and roots if necessary.  Afterwards, we will clean the area to ensure that the infection is gone.  We may also prescribe you an antibiotic to kill any lingering infection.

We then seal up the hole with a rubbery substance to ensure that nothing gets back into the tooth.  If we have to remove a large portion of the tooth structure for the treatment, we might need to then apply a dental crown to the tooth.  A crown is a cap that surrounds and protects the tooth.  We can make it out of ceramic or ceramic-on-metal for a natural-looking appearance.  This way, when the root canal is done, your tooth will be restored in both appearance and functionality.

If you are experiencing tooth pain, we encourage you to call and discuss a root canal therapy so that we can help you to feel better.  While root canals may have a reputation for causing discomfort, the discomfort you feel is actually associated with the infection.  Once the infected area is removed, you will start to feel better right away.  Since we also use sedation, the procedure itself will be comfortable, so there is nothing to fear.  By coming into our Fort Washington office quickly, we can save your tooth before the infection spreads and creates additional issues like a dental abscess, so don’t delay in seeking treatment.