Thibodaux

If you are suffering from any kind of tooth pain, it is necessary to schedule an appointment with your general dentist. This pain may be from a cavity, you don’t want to let this cavity fester. Otherwise, the bacteria eating away at the tooth could dig deeper through the top layers of your tooth and eventually into the internal areas where the nerve endings are located. Once the bacteria has burrowed into this area, it can easily travel throughout the rest of the tooth, including the roots, infecting the gumline and neighboring teeth. With a cavity, your general dentist can handle this concern.

However, if the pain stems from the tooth’s interior, it might be necessary for a root canal to be performed. A root canal might also be necessary if you didn’t have the cavity cleaned out and filled promptly (or if the filling fell out and you didn’t have it re-filled). Whatever the case might be, the interior nerve endings and other organic material known as the pulp are removed with a root canal. With the removal of the nerve endings, you will be pain-free, and your tooth will be saved, which is exactly the goal of an endodontist.

Sometimes your tooth will experience some kind of trauma where the tooth is either damaged, or the nerves are damaged and killed. When the nerve endings are killed, it is very important to have the material removed and cleared out. Otherwise, the organic elements within the tooth will begin to decompose, essentially rotting the tooth from the inside out. On the other hand, if the tooth is damaged, such as a large crack or a split tooth, a dentist might suggest removing it if they do not think they can save it. It is almost always better to try and save the tooth than to have it removed because removing the tooth does cause additional trauma to your gum line. Then you’ll need to have an implant installed, which can be costly (not replacing the tooth isn’t recommended as the neighboring teeth will then shift, which can cause other problems).

So, if your general dentist has told you it is necessary to have a root canal or believes your only option is to remove the tooth, schedule an appointment with an endodontist in Thibodaux, LA, to have a second opinion and have the procedure handled by specialists. Whether it is repairing a cracked tooth, correcting previous root canals, or using the state-of-the-art GentleWave root canal technology, you are in good hands.