Root canals are probably the most (in)famous dental procedure. Everyone assumes they are painful and miserable.  But the procedure is misunderstood.

The root canal can save your teeth, or (in extreme cases) even your life.

When do you need a root canal?

You need a root canal when you have severe tooth decay that has either developed a serious infection or puts you at the risk of infection.

Tooth decay doesn’t just go away. It progresses, eventually causing infected bumps on your gums, abscesses, sensitivity to hot and cold, and gum pain. Left to its own devices, those infections can get into your blood stream, where they can become fatal. 

What happens in a root canal?

First, we scrape out all the infected tissue and pulp from the center of your tooth. If it’s not there anymore, it can’t continue to serve as a breeding ground for infections.

We then fill the space with a material called gutta-percha. This tough, harmless substance ensures that bacteria don’t creep back into the emptied space.

Often, we’ll cap off your root canal with a crown to strengthen the tooth and to ensure that a new infection doesn’t develop. 

Do root canals hurt?

Root canals are painless. We use local anesthesia throughout the treatment to ease the pain that you’re already feeling – the pain that’s causing you to need the root canal in the first place.

Indeed, you should experience pain relief almost directly after the procedure, because the source of the pain (the infected pulp in your teeth), will be gone. Plus, your tooth will be saved. By contrast, if the decay is allowed to continue then you could lose your tooth entirely. 

Got a toothache?

A severe toothache is a dental emergency, and it will not go away on its own. Don’t let fear of a root canal keep you from getting the treatment you need. You’ll find that they were nothing to be scared of. We’ll relieve your pain and save your tooth.

Contact Sweet Life Dental in Woodland Hills today to schedule an appointment, or call us to find out whether we have an emergency walk-in appointment available.