A Root Canal Treatment Will Improve Your Health Not Harm It

Root canal treatment is a treatment to save broken or decayed teeth from being removed. Before we begin with more on the root canal, let us briefly take a look at the structure of the tooth and how and why dental decay happens.

Structure of tooth

The tooth’s visible part in your mouth is called the crown, and roots are located in the jaw bone inside the gums. The visible white and hard portion of the tooth is called enamel. Below the enamel is a dentin layer; below that, dental pulp, a soft portion, is located. This dental pulp is connected to roots inside gums. The main function of teeth is chewing food so it can be gulped down the food pipe.

Tooth decay

Various conditions such as gum infection, bacterial infection on the tooth’s surface, plaque (thin, sticky layer formed by bacteria in the mouth), or tooth grinding lead to thinning of the hard enamel layer of the tooth. This leads to the formation of cavities or tooth decay. A decayed tooth often develops brown-black spots, which will spread. 

The decay will spread inside tooth layers namely dentin and pulp. This leads to extreme pain, sensitivity, and discomfort. In such cases, you need to visit your dentist to save the tooth before the damage is beyond repair and the tooth needs to be extracted. Tooth decay can cause sensitivity, jaw pain, headache, or even fever.

Root canal treatment

People have many misconceptions regarding root canals like- root canals hurt a lot or that it requires many doctor visits, pregnant women cannot do a root canal, even after root canal tooth will fall off or extraction is better than root canal. However, in reality, none of these are true.

The meaning of root canal treatment is-a procedure in which the decayed part of the tooth is removed, including the decayed inner layers of the root. This involves cleaning of roots of the tooth as well to remove any traces of infection inside the deepest layers of the tooth. Hence, the name “root canal.” 

This is done with the help of various dental instruments. Root canal procedure often involves multiple x-rays. This entire process is done under local anaesthetics and is not painful or uncomfortable. The entire root canal treatment is completed in 1-2 visits.  

Once the decay is removed and the root canal is complete, the tooth is reconstructed with the help of permanent filling, and a crown is placed. There are various options available for the choice of crown. You may consult your doctor for the same.

Root canal treatment cost in India differs across states.  This often includes root canal treatment x-ray. 

Benefits of root canal treatment

• It prevents infection from spreading to adjacent teeth.
• It improves overall appearance and aesthetics.
• By keeping natural teeth in place, it maintains jawbone alignment and alignment of the other teeth as well. However, tooth extraction disrupts both.
• This also helps in overall oral health and helps in better digestion of food, thus improving your overall health.
• A root canal helps keep teeth in good condition and prevents extreme procedures such as tooth extraction.

Hence, root canal treatment is beneficial for your long-term oral health. You should consult your doctor if you have any kind of discomfort such as toothache, sensitivity, jawbone pain, gum infection, swelling in gums, bleeding gums, etc., this could be a sign of tooth infection which can be treated with a root canal, and the natural tooth can be saved.