Everything You Need To Know About Root Canals
Posted on: 10 February 2016
If you need to get a root canal, then you might rest a little easier at night if you knew exactly what the procedure entailed. Root canals may seem pretty scary, but they are fairly short and won't be too much of an inconvenience. To help you out, here is a general idea of how the process is going to work:
The Root Canal
Firstly, you are going to get the actual root canal. This will likely start with some local anesthesia in your gums, often administered via shot. If you aren't too comfortable with needles, then you don't need to worry because it will only take a moment.
Your dentist will then begin to excavate the decay in your tooth, slowly removing small portions. If you need a root canal, then the decay likely extends all the way down into the dental pulp. In other words, there might be a lot of material for your dentist to remove.
As your dentist moves further into the tooth, you might feel some slight discomfort, but there shouldn't be any sharp pain. If there is, you should tell your dentist.
The Immediate Aftermath
Once all of the decay has been removed, you are going to have a tooth that is missing a lot of mass. In order to handle this, you will either need to get a crown. While fillings can be used in cases where only a small amount of the tooth needed to be removed, like after a cavity, crowns are much more common after root canals.
You will likely be fairly numb at this point, so you will need to be very careful about not biting yourself. You might be restricted in what you can eat, but that isn't often the case.
The Crown
In order to actually get a crown, your dentist will need to carefully measure the tooth in question. These measurements will be used immediately to make a temporary crown that is going to be installed. It won't fit perfectly, but you only need to wear it for a few weeks.
The measurements will also be sent to a separate facility, where a crown will be custom-made for you. It will be designed and shipped to your dentist, which can take several weeks. Once it has arrived, then your dentist will call you in again and you can get the permanent crown installed.
If you feel some discomfort with this crown, then you should immediately notify your dentist. You will need to live with this crown for a very long time, so if it was improperly fitted, then you could be in for years of suffering.
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