You may not jump up and down in excitement if you’ve been told you need a root canal. A study several years ago indicated that 57% of people would rather spend one hour in a room with ten spiders than get a root canal. And 41% would instead go swimming with sharks. But the truth is that today’s root canal treatments are not the same as those back in the day. There are so many benefits to root canal treatments that many patients today wonder why they feared it for so long.

Why do people need a root canal treatment?

Before we get into all the great benefits of a root canal treatment, let’s ensure we’re all on the same page about why people need root canal treatments in the first place. And to start, we should clarify that a root canal is not just a treatment, it’s a part of your mouth too. The root canal is part of your tooth located in the tooth’s root portion, underneath the enamel and dentin layers. It contains the pulp, which consists of nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissue.

If your tooth shows signs of infection or significant damage to the pulpal nerve, your dentist may suggest a root canal procedure. A cracked tooth or a tooth with a sizable cavity can allow bacteria to penetrate the pulp, and if not treated, it can result in severe infection, tooth pain, loss of bone, or even loss of the tooth.

Here are some signs you may need a root canal treatment:

• Severe pain when biting or chewing
• A chipped or cracked tooth
• The development of a pimple along your gumline
• Swollen or tender gums
• Continued sensitivity to hot or cold, even after the removal of the item, causing the sensitivity
• Deep decay or darkening of the gums 

Don’t be alarmed if your dentist informed you that you need a root canal. As we said earlier, today’s root canals are easier than ever, due to advancements in dental technology and anesthetics, not to mention advanced training for dentists.

6 amazing benefits of a root canal treatment that you should know about. 

After you have had root canal therapy, the surface of your tooth will be vulnerable to contamination and infection. For this reason, a dental crown is typically placed over the treated tooth to seal it off from harmful leakage. This helps maintain your tooth’s health and prevent the need for extraction.

The benefits of a root canal treatment and dental crown include:

1. No More Discomfort Than a Filling

If you’ve ever had a filling, you probably know it is a relatively painless procedure. You may feel a mild sting when the dentistadministers the local anesthetic. But that’s about it. And thankfully, your root canal treatment will be comparable, despite being a more extensive procedure.

2. Protect Your Tooth

A root canal treatment removes infected or damaged tissue from inside the tooth, effectively preventing the spread of infection and saving the tooth from extraction. A dental crown is then placed over the treated tooth to provide additional protection and support, restoring its natural shape and function.

3. The jaw bone will retain its natural structure and strength post treatment.

A root canal treatment removes infected or damaged tissue from a tooth’s pulp chamber, preserving its natural structure and strength. By saving the tooth, a root canal helps prevent the loss of bone mass that often occurs after tooth extraction or tooth loss and maintains the alignment of surrounding teeth. This protects the health and function of your teeth and jawbone while preventing the need for more extensive and costly dental treatments in the future.

4. It prevents the adjacent teeth from shifting and causing crooked teeth.

If an infected tooth is not treated, that tooth will eventually fall out or need to be extracted. The surrounding teeth will eventually shift into the resulting gap, leaving you with a crooked and gapped smile. Crooked teeth can be more challenging to clean, increasing the risk of developing cavities and gum disease.

5. Easier to Maintain Good Oral Hygiene

After a root canal treatment and placement of a dental crown, your restored tooth will function like a natural tooth, allowing you to brush and floss it as you would any other tooth. This makes maintaining good oral hygiene habits easier, removing plaque and bacteria that can lead to gum disease and other dental problems, and improving overall gum health.

6. Prevent Black Triangles

Black triangles are spaces between your teeth and gum line that appear as a triangular gap. As teeth shift in your mouth, those small spaces can form. These spaces are difficult to clean and can become packed with food particles, leading to pain while chewing. A root canal treatment and crown can help prevent this issue from occurring.

Request an appointment with your Greenville, SC, dentist’s office to learn more about root canal treatments.

You may need a root canal treatment if you’re experiencing any of the symptoms we listed earlier. At Monroe Family Dentistry, we pull out all the stops to ensure our patients are as comfortable as possible during root canal therapy. Request an appointment today to protect your oral health and experience all those benefits we listed. We promise you’ll wonder why you waited so long to treat your tooth pain.