Root Canal Treatment in Murfreesboro, TN

At Stonegate Family Dentistry, we regularly perform root canal procedures to remove infections and save our patients' teeth. Root canal treatments are as comfortable as placing a filling in a tooth. The procedure's primary purpose is to save your tooth and involves the removal of all the infection and nerves from the tooth's core. This makes the tooth incapable of causing any pain or any other sensation in the future.

Why Would People Need a Root Canal?

When a tooth becomes infected, it could spread to the center of the tooth. This center portion is called the dental pulp and consists of blood vessels and connective tissue. It is the most sensitive region of the tooth. As a result, when the pulp becomes infected, it can be exceedingly painful, requiring immediate medical care.

What Symptoms Indicate a Need for a Root Canal?

The most common symptom is severe tooth pain when you bite or chew. But you might face other symptoms as well, including:

• You have swelling in the face
• You experience sensitivity to hot and cold temperatures
• Your gums are swollen and your tooth is darkening
• You have tender or bleeding gums
• You have a pimple on the gums near the tooth
• You have persistent bad breath

How Does the Root Canal Treatment Work?

A root canal is initiated by creating a small opening in the tooth to extract all of the infected areas. The dental pulp and the tooth's roots are removed. The tooth's roots serve only to feel sensations like hot and cold temperatures and for the tooth to grow properly. Once the tooth has fully grown, removing the roots will not directly cause any harm to it. 

However, if the roots are infected, removing them can stop the further spread of infection. So, when it is necessary to remove the roots, it is done promptly. Once done, we will carefully clean the area to ensure that the disease is totally removed. A course of antibiotics is prescribed to make sure that any remaining infection is eliminated.

Towards the end of the procedure, the hole will be packed with a unique material called gutta-percha and sealed. This is a rubber-like substance that helps provide stability to the tooth. 

To ensure further strengthening and protection of the damaged tooth, we will use a restorative appliance such as a filling or a crown. Both fillings and crowns can be created in tooth color to match your existing natural teeth. This means that irrespective of where your infected tooth is located, a crown can be used, and it will blend in effortlessly with the surrounding teeth.

If you need root canal therapy, call our office Stonegate Family Dentistry, Dentist in Murfreesboro, TN at (615) 624-6919 or schedule an online appointment