Root Canal Treatment

Talk To Your Dentist When You Break A Tooth

A broken tooth might not seem like an immediate emergency, but this situation can become worse in a hurry. Your enamel plays a vital role in protecting your smile, and when you lose it, you lose this barrier between your mouth and the vulnerable tissue within your tooth. Even if you have only experienced a chip, if the enamel has been removed, it can become a danger for your smile. Take the time to meet with your dentist for an examination if you damage one of your natural teeth.

A Root Canal Treatment Helps You Stop Your Toothache

If you have started to experience pain or discomfort in your broken tooth, it can be a sign that it is past time to talk with your dentist. At this point, you have likely started to develop an infection that has reached the nerve within your pulp. A root canal treatment is one of the only options to stop your pain, and this helps you to avoid the extraction of the affected tooth. Give our team a call to schedule an appointment for a consultation to learn about your next steps.

Save Your Tooth With Endodontic Repair

A root canal treatment is an endodontic procedure, meaning that it takes place within your tooth. Not every dentist can perform this procedure, so you want to make sure that you reach out to someone who specializes in this form of repair.

With a root canal treatment, your dentist or endodontist will start by drilling into the tooth to remove infected tissue. After they have reached the interior of the tooth, they will perform what is called a pulpectomy, which is the removal of the soft tissue. This portion of your procedure stops your toothache, but there is still more that needs to be done.

In order to prevent reinfection, and the spread of bacteria into your jaw, your provider seals the connections shut using a plant-based putty called gutta-percha. These areas are known as the root canals, which is where this procedure derives its name.

Cap Things Off With A Beautiful Dental Crown

Since a root canal treatment requires a significant amount of drilling, you will need a dental crown to finalize the procedure. Talk to our team about your different options in dental crown material. Some of these are made to blend in with your natural tooth material, helping you to keep your repair a little more private!

Broken A Tooth? Schedule An Appointment With Dr. Maxey Today!

A cracked or broken tooth can be a sign of a future infection. When you damage one of your natural teeth, schedule an appointment with Dr. Maxey, DDS for an examination and a dedicated treatment plan. Speak with our team at our Grand Prairie, TX office today at (972) 264-5795!

From Our Blog:

Will My Tooth Need Additional Treatment Following a Root Canal?

Root canal therapy is a tooth-saving procedure than can greatly improve patient comfort and salvage a tooth from extraction. Depending on a patient’s needs, root canal treatment may be followed by restorative dental treatment such as a filling or crown. When it comes to providing endodontic and restorative treatment, our experienced dentist provide gentle and thorough care to patients in our community.

The root canal is a chamber inside the tooth, that when exposed to external oral bacteria, can become infected and inflamed. Inside the root canal lie pulp (which contains cellular material) and the nerves inside teeth. When a root canal is exposed and infected, it can cause severe discomfort in the form of sharp pain when eating and drinking and/or persistent toothache. Read More…

Why do I need root canal therapy?

Teeth are very unique biological structures—especially when compared to other parts of the body such as tendons and bone. For example, when you injure a tendon or break a bone, these structures can self-repair and generate new tissue. Teeth, however, cannot self-repair once damaged by injury or disease. This is why restorative and endodontic therapy such as a root canal treatment must be performed by a dentist to restore the health of a tooth.

The root canal is located inside the tooth. This chamber houses pulp, nerves, and cellular material. In a healthy tooth, the root canal does not come into contact with debris from food or harmful oral bacteria because it is sealed. Read More…

Root Canal Therapy: How long is the recovery process?

A root canal is needed when the nerve of a tooth has been damaged due to trauma or infection. For most patients, they can return to work or school right after having their tooth treated.

A root canal, also known as endodontic therapy, is a procedure where your dentist will clean out the canals of the affected tooth. A dental x-ray is taken prior to the procedure for a couple of reasons. The dental provider will want to verify the number of roots involved and how they are positioned. An access point is drilled in the tooth; a special drill called a file is used to remove the contents of each canal.

The contents of the canal consist of blood and nerve tissue along with pulp. The file is used to remove the contents of each canal, and then the opening is sealed. Treating each canal is critical to the success of the procedure. Any canal left untreated can require the need for retreatment. Read More…