Have your teeth been stinging a bit lately? Is there a discoloration visible on your teeth or gums? And are you, as usual delaying your appointment with the dentist? So, firstly don’t worry. With the growing rate of dental issues, many of us have been there at least once. Searing pain in teeth that is felt after eating something extremely hot or cold can be an identifier of the underlying decay.

More often than not, we aren’t motivated enough to look after our oral health as much as we should. The dental hygiene routine of brushing twice a day and everything goes out of the window when we are caught up in a busy lifestyle that hardly allows us to look after ourselves. For many people, the decline in their oral health is also due to the fear of visiting a dentist.

All these causes lead up to tooth decay which, in most cases, can be treated with a root canal treatment. This article will help you know more about this treatment and how you can get it done in a dental facility near you.

What is Root Canal Treatment?

Root canal treatment is a tooth recovery process that mainly deals with cleaning the tooth of decay and filling the space later with dental adhesives. It is used to repair teeth that have been decayed or have any cracks or gaps due to injury. This treatment consists of saving a damaged natural tooth rather than extracting it and replacing it with a prosthetic tooth. It can be administered to patients of all age groups depending upon their overall health condition.
Is there any prerequisite?

Root canal treatment is a simple procedure with only a few considerations. To perform this treatment, the decay must not have damaged the whole structure of the tooth. It can only be cleaned and filled back if the tooth is still strong to withstand the dental forces of chewing food. In cases where the decay or injury has damaged much of the tooth, dentists might advise you to go for tooth replacement options such as dental implants or temporary dentures.

How is it performed?

This treatment is performed in various stages. Each stage is significant for curing and recovering your teeth. We have listed some of the steps in which root canal treatment is generally performed by dentists.

• Assessment

The dentist will first analyze the condition of your tooth and the symptoms experienced by you. Most commonly, a dental X-ray is taken to identify the extent to which the decay or crack has damaged your tooth. Based on this analysis, the course and duration of the treatment are decided and conveyed to you by the dentist. The deeper the penetration, the longer the duration of the treatment.

• Sedation

Since cleaning and mending damaged teeth requires using dental equipment that may make some patients feel uncomfortable, especially the ones with dental anxiety, local sedation is advised. It helps numb the oral region which is to be treated.

• Cleaning

Once the patient is comfortable, the tooth is drilled and cleaned from the inside. The step of drilling and cleaning the decay and debris is one of the most crucial parts of the whole process.

• Filling

Once the tooth is clean of decay and debris, the dentist will apply a biocompatible filling. Depending upon the requirement of the patient, a dental crown may or may not be applied.

These are the stages in which a root canal treatment can be broadly divided into. But these steps may not necessarily be performed the same way for every patient. Many considerations can change the course and duration of the treatment. If the decay is relatively small and hasn’t penetrated deep into the tooth, it can be treated faster than the one which has gone deeper down to the nerves.
Is there any aftercare?

Due to the sedatives used, you can hardly feel pain during the treatment. But once its effects subside gradually, you may start to feel mild pain. The aftercare generally includes having mild to high analgesics as prescribed by the dentist. You may experience some discomfort and pain due to the drilling of a decayed tooth. Pain relievers will help you feel comfortable.

Also, you might have to abstain from eating foods or having drinks with extreme temperatures. As anything too hot or too cold can sting your nerve when the tooth structure has been drilled the inside. Eating hard food items must also be avoided for as long as your tooth is filled with permanent filling, the pain has reduced, and your dentist gives you a go-ahead.

Where can you get affordable root canal treatment?

Many advanced dental clinics offer root canal treatment in Perth. You may come across heaps of ads from dentists claiming their dental services are the best in the area. They may not be wrong, but how do you know which one is the best option for you?

The only way to know this is by doing thorough research of the available dental clinics and their services. This can help you select the right place for your dental treatment. Your research must include some of the most important considerations and they can be as follows:

• The certifications that the dentist holds, are they qualified for providing the treatment?
• Does the dentist have expertise in providing root canal treatment?
• The duration of time the expert has practiced dentistry.
• What facilities does the clinic have to make your root canal treatment easier? If you are a nervous dental patient, you might need to seek help from sleep dentistry.
• What is the cost of the treatment at this clinic, does that suit your budget?
• Can you gather any reviews from previous or current patients?
• Are the reviews good enough?

Answering these questions can help you select a good dental care facility.

Conclusion:

Oral health is a major deciding factor in your overall health. If your teeth or any of the gums are not functioning properly or aching, you will have to face trouble eating food. To avoid such a situation, it is advisable that you take care of your oral health and visit your dentist regularly. They can spot any abnormalities or dental issues and treat them in their earliest stages. If you think your teeth are hurting and you might have decay, wait no longer, and visit your dentist.