Root Canal Treatment

When the nerve of a tooth becomes infected root canal treatment can save the tooth. You may realize you have an infected tooth because it's sensitive to hot or cold, it causes swelling and pain, or it gives you a bad taste in your mouth. You may also be completely unaware you have an infected tooth because you experience no symptoms at all. The white outside of the tooth is the enamel. Inside the enamel is another hard layer, the dentin. There's a small chamber inside the dentin called the pulp chamber. The tooth pulp is a soft tissue made up of nerves, arteries and veins. The pulp extends from the pulp chamber down through a narrow channel, which is the root canal, all the way to the tip of the root. In general, teeth at the front of the mouth have one or two root canals, while teeth in the back of the mouth, have two, three or four root canals.

How do teeth become infected? Though some teeth without cavities can become infected, deep cavities are the main cause of infection. Deep cavities can allow germs to get into the pulp chamber. These germs cause infection and the pulp dies. The pus from the infection eventually builds up in the root tip and makes a hole in the bone. This is called an abscess. The cavity enters the pulp chamber and causes the abscess, which is the dark area at the tip of the root. A blow to a tooth may cause the pulp to die and then become infected. An infected tooth will never heal on its own, and as it gets worse, it will continue to be a source of infection that drags down your immune system, and that can affect your entire body. This damage to the bone and the swelling inside the bone can be excruciatingly painful, and even life threatening. Years ago, an infected tooth would just have to be extracted, but today, we can save your tooth with root canal treatment.