For many people who worry about dental treatment, the mere mention of the words "root canal" can provoke reactions of fear and distress.
However the procedure sounds a lot worse than it is, and while it is a slightly involved process, it is one that dentists are well versed in and necessary if you want a healthy and happy smile.
Dentists opt for a root canal treatment of your tooth after the nerve from the soft pulp centre of your tooth becomes diseased.
If the dentist does nothing, this tooth can then rot from the inside out, destroying the tooth beyond repair, and sometimes impacting neighbouring teeth.
You may be unaware that there is a problem as, while sometimes you experience acute pain when it is infected, other times the nerve can die without pain being present.
If the nerve has died then the dentist needs to remove the nerve and the inside parts of you tooth, clean it out and fill the space with a safe filler.
While pain is not always present, pain can indicate you do need to have your tooth looked at.
If you notice a tooth is particularly sensitive to hot or cold temperatures when eating or if you feel any pain when biting or chewing it's a good idea to get it looked at.
Any swelling, acute pain, throbbing or discovering the tooth has become discoloured, are further important issues to investigate.
It can be tempting to try to ignore a possible root canal treatment, in the hope that it will all just go away.
In fact many people do ignore a short burst of acute pain, when this may have signaled internal teeth issues only a dentist can diagnose.
An untreated infected nerve can cause an abscess, a hole in the tooth or gum from where the infection needs to drain, swelling in other areas of the face, head or neck, and in some cases a high temperature and ill health.
The nerve and tooth pulp can become inflamed, irritated or infected from a variety of causes.
If the tooth has previously had a lot of work on it, it is more susceptible.
Any previous exposure from its safe hidey hole within the tooth increases the likelihood of infection at some stage down the track.
It can also be caused by a chip or crack in the tooth, or a blow or injury to the face.
Whatever the cause, the treatment can prevent further problems down the track.
A root canal treatment may feel like a big deal, but when it's put in perspective of long term complications if you don't have one, it suddenly seems like a really good idea.
However the procedure sounds a lot worse than it is, and while it is a slightly involved process, it is one that dentists are well versed in and necessary if you want a healthy and happy smile.
Dentists opt for a root canal treatment of your tooth after the nerve from the soft pulp centre of your tooth becomes diseased.
If the dentist does nothing, this tooth can then rot from the inside out, destroying the tooth beyond repair, and sometimes impacting neighbouring teeth.
You may be unaware that there is a problem as, while sometimes you experience acute pain when it is infected, other times the nerve can die without pain being present.
If the nerve has died then the dentist needs to remove the nerve and the inside parts of you tooth, clean it out and fill the space with a safe filler.
While pain is not always present, pain can indicate you do need to have your tooth looked at.
If you notice a tooth is particularly sensitive to hot or cold temperatures when eating or if you feel any pain when biting or chewing it's a good idea to get it looked at.
Any swelling, acute pain, throbbing or discovering the tooth has become discoloured, are further important issues to investigate.
It can be tempting to try to ignore a possible root canal treatment, in the hope that it will all just go away.
In fact many people do ignore a short burst of acute pain, when this may have signaled internal teeth issues only a dentist can diagnose.
An untreated infected nerve can cause an abscess, a hole in the tooth or gum from where the infection needs to drain, swelling in other areas of the face, head or neck, and in some cases a high temperature and ill health.
The nerve and tooth pulp can become inflamed, irritated or infected from a variety of causes.
If the tooth has previously had a lot of work on it, it is more susceptible.
Any previous exposure from its safe hidey hole within the tooth increases the likelihood of infection at some stage down the track.
It can also be caused by a chip or crack in the tooth, or a blow or injury to the face.
Whatever the cause, the treatment can prevent further problems down the track.
A root canal treatment may feel like a big deal, but when it's put in perspective of long term complications if you don't have one, it suddenly seems like a really good idea.
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