Your tooth hurts all the time now, even at night when you’re trying to sleep. What started off as sensitivity every now and then is now constant and excruciating pain. In the past, you could take ibuprofen for some relief, but now your tooth just hurts all the time. Your dentist in Keller explains what is happening and why you might need a root canal.
Your Tooth May be Infected
When you experience constant and severe tooth pain it is most likely indicating that your tooth is infected. It’s important to take this seriously and contact your dentist right away for treatment because a dental infection won’t go away on its own. In fact, without treatment an infection will spread and could affect other teeth and may result in tooth loss.
How does a Root Canal Help?
During root canal therapy, your dentist is able to remove the infected tissue inside your tooth from a small access hole in the top. Once your tooth is free of infection, it will be sealed with a temporary filling and given time to heal.
When it has completely healed, you will need to return to your dentist to strengthen your tooth with a permanent filling or dental crown. This ensures that your tooth provides all the function of eating and chewing that you had before your infection.
Avoiding Root Canal Therapy
Believe it or not, many root canals could’ve been avoided with preventive care. When you visit your dentist consistently every six months for cleanings and checkups they can detect tooth decay in its earliest stages before it has a chance to progress into the nerve of your tooth where it causes an infection.
Detecting tooth decay early on gives you the opportunity to eliminate the decay and restore your tooth with a dental filling, which is a less invasive and less costly procedure.
If your tooth is feeling sensitive but the pain is manageable, now is the time to contact your dentist in Keller for an examination. Being proactive about your oral health saves you time, money and discomfort in the long run.
If you are having severe pain or discomfort, contact your dentist right away.
About Distinguished Dental
Are you looking for a dental experience that is unlike anything you’ve had before? Does exceptional dentistry combined with the ultimate in customer service sound good to you? If you answered yes, look no further than Distinguished Dental, where Dr. Sheri McIntosh and her team provide patients with the Distinguished Patient Experience at each and every visit.
Would you like to learn more? You can contact Dr. McIntosh by calling 817-337-8300 or through her website.