6 Reasons You Might Need a Root Canal

Are you experiencing a debilitating toothache? Is your tooth sensitive to cold and hot drinks? You may need a root canal from Irvington Dental. Root canal treatment in Streamwood, Illinois, helps save damaged or decayed teeth from extraction. Furthermore, the treatment helps prevent re-infection of the tooth when you adhere to proper dental care.

What is root canal therapy (RCT)?

A root canal removes the infected tooth pulp to relieve pain and manage infection caused by a tooth abscess. Once we remove the infected tissues, we clean and disinfect the tooth before using a dental crown for reinforcement.

Not every toothache you experience is a sign of an infected tooth. However, you might need to see a root canal dentist for a proper evaluation when toothaches are accompanied by other signs.

What are the symptoms for root canal treatment?

These symptoms include:

• Consistent tooth pain: Do you have tooth pain that doesn’t respond to home remedies or over-the-counter medications? A toothache from an infected tooth can be sharp or throbbing and worsens when you bite down or apply pressure to the tooth.
• Sensitivity to hot and cold foods: Tooth sensitivity when consuming hot or cold drinks may indicate infected or damaged nerves and blood vessels. This pain can be sharp or dull.
• Tooth discoloration: When your tooth is infected, it no longer receives blood flow, causing it to die off. Also called pulp necrosis, dying pulp tissue causes your tooth to appear darker or discolored.
• Swelling and tenderness: Are the gums around the infected tooth swollen? Does this area feel tender when touched? When your body’s immune system detects an infection, it initiates an inflammatory response as a natural way to fight off the infection. As a result, the infected area may experience increased blood flow to deliver antibodies, immune cells, and other defensive factors. A combination of these factors causes the gums around the infected tooth to swell and feel tender.
• Chipped/cracked tooth: A crack or decay on your tooth may allow harmful bacteria to penetrate your pulp chamber, causing inflammation. However, sometimes you may need a root canal without any evidence of damage. For instance, when your pulp chamber is injured, the nerves and other tissues can be damaged, warranting a root canal.
• Gum abscess: A pocket of pus (abscess) may develop at the gum line near the infected tooth. Tooth abscesses often cause swelling, tenderness, and even drainage of pus or a foul taste in the mouth. In severe cases, the abscess may cause facial swelling or fever. If an abscessed tooth isn’t treated, the infection can spread to the surrounding structures and other body parts through the bloodstream, causing life-threatening conditions like sepsis.

How should I Schedule a root canal appointment?

If you are experiencing a symptom that may warrant root canal treatment, call (331) 245-2969 to schedule an appointment with Drs. Joon Han and Jae Yeon Choi. Our root canals are painless, save your tooth from extraction, and prevent numerous health complications. 

Share this Article