Root Canal Therapy - Olean, NY
The Answer to Dental Pain
You read that title right. When it comes to relieving the most severe dental pain and saving extremely damaged teeth from extraction, root canal therapy is one of the best tools our office has. We know better than anyone that this procedure has a bit of a scary reputation, but we can assure you that thanks to modern-day techniques, getting one is now no more “excruciating” than a small filling. If you’re dealing with a persistent toothache that just won’t go away, Dr. Daugherty can make it quickly disappear using root canal therapy.
Why Would I Need Root Canal Therapy?
To understand a root canal, you first need to understand how a tooth is actually constructed. Every tooth in your mouth actually has three distinct layers. Working from the outside in, there’s the enamel, dentin, and then dental pulp. Dentin is a hard, yellow substance, and the dental pulp is a small amount of soft tissue that includes the nerve of a tooth.
When this dental pulp becomes exposed to bacteria because of a cavity or trauma to the tooth, it can become infected, inflamed, and even die. As you can imagine, because you are dealing with the nerve, it can cause quite the toothache! The only way to address this kind of problem is with root canal therapy. Other signs that you might need a root canal besides dental pain are:
- Redness or swelling in the gums near a tooth
- A pimple-like bump on the gums near a tooth
- Increased dental sensitivity to hot and cold temperatures
- Pain when biting down on a tooth
- Swelling or tenderness on the same side of the face as a tooth
How Root Canal Therapy Works
Once Dr. Daugherty has examined your tooth and determined that yes, you have damaged dental pulp, a root canal will involve the following basic steps:
- He will numb the area he intends to treat.
- He will create a small hole in the tooth to access the pulp.
- He will remove the damaged tissue, clean the tooth, and fill it with a supportive and biocompatible material.
- He will cap the tooth with a temporary filling before fully restoring it with a dental crown at a follow-up visit.
Most of the time, root canal therapy can be completed in just one visit, and afterwards, a treated tooth should look, feel, and function normally for many years to come.
If you are currently dealing with any kind of dental pain, root canal therapy could be the answer you need. To learn more and schedule and appointment, contact us today.