A root canal may help relieve severe pain and save your tooth. In a modern dental office you have no reason to fear or dread a root canal.

Contact Cranford Dental in Rock Hill, SC if you need to schedule an appointment to discuss pain or other concerns with your teeth.

A root canal is the most common Endodontic procedure. Endodontics involves dealing with the nerve of the tooth.  During a root canal the nerve of the tooth is meticulously removed. This relieves the patient of infection or pain.

The term root canal should not be scary. With proper anesthesia, this procedure is not very different for the patient than a basic filling procedure.

The following symptoms indicate that you may need endodontic treatment:

• pain
• extreme sensitivity to cold or hot
• swelling
• tenderness when chewing
• signs of an abscess on dental radiographs

Your dentist will perform several tests to determine that you need a root canal. He will discuss the treatment and hear your concerns.

What happens during a root canal?

Your dentist first  numb your mouth near the infected tooth. You should not feel any pain during the procedure.

She will carefully remove the nerve from the tooth using special dental tools. She will then fill canal with special materials that will protect the tooth and avoid future problems.

Click on the tooth below to see exactly what happens to the tooth during a root canal. Note that decay goes from the surface of the tooth through the enamel and down the root of the tooth.

The dentist uses precisely measured files to clean the decay and remove the root of the tooth. This stops the pain and helps save the tooth.

What happens after a root canal?

After the procedure you may experience minor tenderness in the gums.

Most patients are ecstatic with the immediate pain relief that follows a root canal.

Many patients leave the office pain free.

If you experience minor pains, over-the-counter pain medications such as Advil will take care of it.

If a lot of infection is present before or during the procedure, we may prescribe an antibiotic to reduce the risk of swelling.

Our patients leave the office with our contact information but rarely need to call us concerning a root canal procedure.

Contact Cranford Dental for root canal

Don’t let your fear of the term root canal keep you from saving your teeth. Oftentimes the only other option for a tooth is to remove the tooth. We will discuss the various options when you visit our office.

Let us know what we can do to help put you at ease before any procedure, including a root canal.

Call 803-324-7670 or email Cranford Dental to make an appointment.