Need a Root Canal? Here’s Why You Should Schedule Your Treatment ASAP

Many patients ask if it would really be all that bad to wait on getting a root canal. 

At the office of Heather M. Wilmore, DDS, our passion is protecting your oral health. With decades of experience, Dr. Wilmore and our team have extensive knowledge of smile-saving dental treatments, including specialized root canal techniques that make the procedure easy. 

In this month’s blog, we explain what root canals involve, why acting fast matters, and what could happen if you don’t.

What happens during a root canal 

When you have a decayed or infected tooth, it requires repair. For a root canal treatment, Dr. Wilmore creates a small opening in the tooth and removes infected or damaged pulp from the inside, down to the root. She disinfects the interior of the tooth and places a sterile material, gutta percha, inside that takes the place of the pulp.

After that, patients generally get a custom crown. It’s a cap that covers your entire tooth and reinforces it, sealing off the opening created for the procedure. 

Although the repaired tooth isn’t quite as strong as a healthy tooth with pulp, it’s very sturdy and able to withstand normal biting and chewing forces for years to come. Some studies show that up to 97% of root canal-treated teeth are healthy 10 years later.

Why root canals are better sooner than later

Dentists perform 15 million root canals annually in the United States.  It’s one of the most common treatments for advanced tooth decay because it offers big benefits. Here’s why you should schedule your root canal ASAP. 

No more pain

When you have a deep infection or otherwise damaged pulp, it’s often severely painful. Hot or cold food or drinks may cause overwhelming sensitivity, and you might not be able to chew on that whole side of your mouth. That’s no way to live, and it’ll only get worse if you ignore it. 

A root canal immediately eliminates the source of your pain. After a comfortable procedure in our office — we also provide several types of sedation dentistry to put you at ease — your tooth pain will be gone and, soon, ready to use your tooth just like normal.

No lost tooth

Root canals save teeth. If you don’t remove that tooth pulp, it will continue damaging your tooth. It will spread throughout the entire tooth until there’s not enough healthy tooth structure left to save. 

At that point, the only real option is extraction, and it’s always best to save your natural tooth (unless you’re 6 years old and expecting a visit from the Tooth Fairy soon). 

Avoiding complications

If you require extraction, you need to replace the lost tooth with a dental implant or other restoration, like a bridge. If you don’t, your remaining natural teeth can start shifting, causing alignment issues. 

It’s even worse if you skip the extraction and leave the infected tooth intact. The tooth decay can spread to your other teeth, so you could end up in a situation where you need multiple extractions just to stop the pain.  The infection can spread deeper into your jawbone or even to other parts of your body, potentially leading to life-threatening complications like sepsis.

A root canal takes all these worries away and restores your smile to normal. And, avoiding complications by scheduling the treatment early can save you a lot of money in the long term. 

The clock is ticking on tooth damage

Once a tooth needs a root canal, the longer you wait, the worse the damage can get. There’s no reason to put yourself through misery when a root canal can get you back to good oral health now. 

Call our office at 713-266-4222 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Wilmore as soon as possible.