When you are suffering from painful and severe toothache to see a dentist, generally, the dentists will suggest you to have a root canal therapy if you want to save the tooth instead of pulling out the aching tooth. What is root canal therapy? The dentists at Shenzhen A.K.J Stomatological Hospital will explain for you.

What is Root Canal Therapy?

Our teeth are meant to last a lifetime. Sometimes, however, damage occurs to a tooth (often from a deep cavity or an injury that causes a tooth to crack) and the inside of the tooth becomes infected. This infection damages the pulp of the tooth – the network of blood vessels and nerves inside. Left untreated, the damaged pulp can cause infection that will damage the bone around the tooth and cause swelling and pain. If the damaged tooth becomes infected, your dentist may have to perform a Root Canal Therapy to save it.

Root Canal Therapy involves opening the tooth, removing the damaged pulp, cleaning, shaping, filling and sealing the tooth. Depending upon how much infection there is in the injured tooth, your may be put on medicine before your dentist can begin to work. Your dentist will start by getting the tooth ready.

Why might you need root canal therapy?

Injury or trauma to a tooth may cause the pulp to become inflamed or infected; eventually, the pulp may die. Damaged or dead pulp leads to increased blood flow and cellular activity, creating pressure inside the tooth that cannot be relieved. This may result in pain when biting down or chewing with the affected tooth, or when consuming hot or cold drinks. Without treatment, the infection may spread, the bone around the tooth may degenerate, and the tooth may fall out. Pulpitis and periapical periodontitis are common oral diseases that apply root canal therapy. 

Can we find any alternatives to root canal therapy? The only alternative to root canal therapy is extraction of the inflected tooth. This can eventually cause the surrounding teeth to move, which may result in a bad bite that ultimately requires an implant or bridge. It’s always best to keep your original tooth if possible, and the root canal therapy allows you to do so. And the root canal therapy will cost less than implant teeth or bridges.