Root canal treatment is a procedure to repair and preserve a tooth from significant damage. This is a much more practical solution than having the tooth extracted. Most dental professionals consider root canal treatment an emergency procedure to relieve pain and reduce the risk of infection for their patients.
The “root canal” is the hollow section of the tooth that houses the pulp and your tooth’s nerves. The pulp protects the nerves when you are eating or drinking things that are extremely hot or cold. Without the pulp, the nerve will feel extremely sensitive to these things.
If your tooth is damaged, it can allow bacteria to get inside the canal, causing infection and discomfort. This can eventually lead to an abscess. This is when your dental professional may decide that root canal treatment is your best option. In this article, we will explain some of the benefits of this procedure and how to prepare for root canal treatment.
What Are the Benefits of Root Canal Treatment?
There are several benefits of root canal treatment. We will take a closer look at these below:
Offers Pain Relief
A throbbing toothache is one of the worst pains you’ll experience. It takes away from your overall quality of life. It keeps you from being productive at work. The infected pulp inside the tooth causes this pain. Root canal treatment will clean away the damaged nerves and bacteria, soothing the toothache. The procedure itself is relatively painless due to the various anaesthesia options.
Mitigates Temperature Sensitivity
Almost everyone enjoys an ice-cold beverage on a hot day or a cup of hot cocoa on a cold night — but when your teeth are infected/inflamed, this can be painful. Since root canal treatment removes the damaged nerves and infected pulp, you can get back to enjoying those beverages that you love so much.
Prevents Further Infection
The infection in your dental pulp is not isolated to just one tooth — it is likely to spread to other teeth and even other parts of your body. This can destroy your smile and your overall health. If you decide to opt-out of root canal treatment, you will likely experience more pain, swelling, and infections.
Saves Your Smile
Root canal treatment saves the tooth — it doesn’t replace it. You may be able to restore the strength of your missing teeth with dental prosthetics, but they will not look, feel, or work like your natural teeth.
The Procedure Is Quick and Easy
If you must have your teeth extracted to make room for dental prosthetics, you will likely have to schedule multiple, costly visits — which can take weeks and sometimes even months or more. If you must have implants, that could take a year before you have a tooth. Then, you must take the extra steps to care for your prosthetic. On the other hand, you can complete your root canal treatment in a single appointment.
Limited Maintenance Following the Procedure
It’s important to note that dental prosthetics might last about 10 years before repairs or adjustments — and maybe even replacement is required. Implants are an especially long, never-ending process. Many times, you won’t even need a crown following root canal treatment, which means you won’t have to deal with a lot of post-op maintenance.
Keeps Teeth in Place
Your teeth support each other, and when one is missing due to being removed or falling out, the rest of the teeth shift, which can significantly affect your smile and ability to chew properly. Root canal treatment can save the tooth so that you can continue to smile and enjoy your favourite foods.
Almost Pain-Free
Many times, when people think about root canal treatment, they believe it will be painful — but the truth is the pain is from the infected pulp and decaying nerves. After the procedure, most patients experience little to no pain compared to those who have their tooth extracted.
Covered By Insurance
Most of the time, your dental insurance will cover endodontic treatments but will not cover restorative or cosmetic procedures. Therefore, your root canal treatment is likely to be covered, but implants and other dental prosthetics will be an out-of-pocket expense.
How to Prepare for a Root Canal Treatment
Now that we have outlined some of the benefits of root canal treatment, we will explain how to prepare for root canal treatment.
Avoid Alcohol and Smoking for 24 Hours Before the Procedure
When undergoing dental surgery requiring anaesthesia, you should avoid drinking alcohol and using tobacco products. These are risk factors that could cause significant complications that could be life-threatening.
Talk to the Dentist About the Medicines
Before the procedure, your dentist will give you prescriptions for antibiotics and pain relief. Be sure to discuss these with your dentist to understand precisely how and when to take them.
Eat Before the Procedure
If you are receiving general anaesthesia, your dentist will instruct you not to eat anything starting the evening before the procedure. If you are not getting general anaesthesia, your dentist may not give you these instructions. Either way, you should make sure that you are consuming a healthy diet to support your overall immunity, which will help with the healing process.
Ask Questions
If you have any questions or concerns about the procedure and recovery process, bring them up to your dentist. If you don’t find answers, your anxiety could be a major issue. Your dentist and staff are trained to ensure your comfort and successful treatment. Therefore, ask whatever you need to so that you can feel relaxed going into the procedure.
Get a Full Night’s Sleep Before and After the Procedure
You should do everything you can to make sure that your body is in peak condition through the treatment process. One way to do this is to get a full night’s sleep the night before the procedure. This will prepare your body to endure the procedure. In addition, you should be getting a full night’s sleep following the procedure to help with the healing process.
Schedule Your Consultation Today
Root canal treatment can repair and preserve a tooth from significant damage. Typically, it costs less than other dental procedures, and your insurance should cover it. It can help save your smile, mitigate pain and temperature sensitivity, and keep the infection from spreading to your other teeth or even other parts of your body. The process is usually quick and easy, and you won’t have any extra maintenance like you would with dental prosthetics.
If you have teeth that need repair, keep these things in mind for how to prepare for root canal treatment so that you can be ready when the time comes. Contact Mosman Fine Dental to keep your dental health in tip-top shape.
