Root Canal Therapy & Treatment

Root canals are never at the top of anybody’s list of favorite things. However, they do provide essential care to damaged and decaying teeth. If the root of your tooth is infected, root canals are the process of removing that infection to make your tooth healthy again.This also helps prevent the tooth from getting infected in the future.

Our goal at Covington Dental Studio is to ensure that patients in and around Covington, Alcovy, Social Circle and Oxford have access to affordable root canal therapy and other essential dental care. We’re here to ease your worry about root canals. Trust us and the hundreds of patients who have experienced this procedure—the pain you feel from your infected tooth is much worse than the discomfort of a root canal treatment. In fact, with current technology, you’ll barely feel a thing!

What to Expect with Root Canal Treatment

Oftentimes, even just knowing what to expect from a root canal makes the process less daunting. If you’re due for a root canal, here’s what the process will look like:

Before

Symptoms of an infected tooth include pain while chewing, discomfort when putting pressure on the tooth, chipped or cracked teeth, heightened tooth sensitivity, gum issues, and more. Don’t ignore issues like this when they arise. The sooner we can intervene, the less severe your dental issue will become. Attending your routine dental visits will help ensure any teeth issues won’t go unnoticed. You’re also welcome to talk to your dentist about concerns or questions at any time.

During

To start your root canal treatment, we’ll X-ray your teeth to make sure we know exactly where the infection is. Then, we’ll numb your tooth with local anesthetic and isolate it to keep it clean and dry. A licensed dentist will make an opening in the crown of your tooth to begin cleaning the pulp, which is the innermost layer of the tooth, and the root canal. When that space is clean and ready, it will be filled with dental material intended to seal your tooth away from later infection.

After

Some sensitivity after your procedure is normal. If pain and discomfort lasts longer than a couple of days following your root canal, let your dentist know immediately. You will have a follow-up appointment either way to ensure that your tooth is healing appropriately. A permanent filling will also be placed on the tooth in question.

Advantages of a Root Canal

Arguably the top advantage of a root canal is that your tooth is protected from further infection. This is also the most efficient, least invasive way of curing an infected tooth as opposed to tooth removal. A root canal also offers the most natural appearance and closely mirrors the function of a natural tooth after appropriate healing. With a root canal, you’ll have full use and function of your previously infected tooth, and will likely never have to worry about it happening to the same tooth again.

Another noticeable benefit is the lack of tooth pain. Prior to treatment, infected teeth can become very painful for patients. Removing the source of the pain makes everyday life much easier, especially daily habits that use your teeth and jaws.