Root Canal—two small words that can make any adult feel weak in the knees. In reality, there’s no reason to cringe at this procedure. Our dentists at Berquist Family Dentistry believe in making each dental appointment pleasant and as painless as possible. The purpose of getting a root canal in La Porte is to save your natural teeth. Your dentist will work with you to develop the best plan to help you do just that. Let’s look at what root canal therapy really is, how you know if you need it, and the process to give you a better understanding.

What is root canal therapy?

Dr. Robert Berquist and Dr. Daniel Berquist can perform root canal therapy on one or more of your natural teeth if they find that your teeth are dying.  Our teeth are built to last a lifetime, but in certain circumstances, our teeth undergo trauma that may cause an infection. If left untreated, your teeth will start to decay all the way from the root of your tooth (on the inside) and eventually die. Your dentist in La Porte can perform this “life-saving” procedure to get your oral health back on track! Not only will they remove the signs of infection, but they will fill and seal the area from getting infected by dangerous bacteria in the future.

What does root canal therapy entail?

Contrary to jokes about the matter, root canals are very similar to having a routine filling. Usually, the procedure is completed in one or two appointments, depending on the condition of your tooth and your personal circumstances. You can expect a comfortable experience during and after your appointment.

During your procedure, either dentist from our practice will remove the inflamed root of your tooth. This is done by accessing the inside of the tooth with tiny files that can gently reach the intricate crevices of the inside of your tooth. All signs of infection will be cleaned out. Your dentist will fill the inside of your tooth with a rubber-like dental material to avoid future infections from taking place. Your dentist will then seal your tooth and cap it with a dental crown to protect and re-stabilize it, gaining your natural tooth’s functionality and strength once again. If you would like a quick visual of the procedure, click here for more information.

How do I know if I need root canal therapy?

If you do not keep good oral hygiene, or if your tooth has suffered a traumatic incident leaving the inside of it exposed, you have left your smile vulnerable to infection. For instance, if you had recently taken a blow to the jaw and cracked a tooth, but never reached out to your dentist for emergency dental or restorative services, the food you’ve been eating, plaque, and other dangerous debris could be building up inside your tooth. There are telltale signs of tooth infections, and unfortunately, most of them are pretty painful. You will be able to feel or see symptoms like these if you have an infected tooth:

• Abscess—Essentially a hole in the jaw bone that shows up as a dark spot during dental x-rays because the bone does not grow in that area. Healthy jaw bones won’t grow in an area contaminated with infection.
• Fistula (bump) on gums—Typically a white, yellow, or red pimple-looking bump that appears on your gum line. You can tell that this comes from infection because your body is trying to rid the infection by venting it out with bodily fluids such as blood or puss.
• Positional pain—Tooth pain that occurs when you lie down or suddenly stand up. This can be a sign of an abscess or dead tooth.
• Referred pain—Pain that not only occurs in your tooth but another part of your body. Additional pain can occur in your jaw, ear, neck, or surrounding teeth.
• Spontaneous pain—Tooth pain that occurs from a stimulus, like a hot or cold drink. Sometimes this can also be caused by extremely sweet foods or drinks as well.

Berquist Family Dentistry is here to help you maintain your natural teeth with preventive dentistry first. In the case of dental emergencies, we are still here to help. If you feel any of these signs of infection, please call us immediately! You could have an infection brewing and be wasting precious time needed to save your natural adult teeth! To learn more about our services, simply schedule an appointment to visit our office.