When do cavities get so bad that you need a root canal?
What Are Cavities?
Cavities are often a result of compromising your dental needs, including not regularly visiting your dentist or brushing your teeth. When you don’t brush your teeth after a meal, plaque accumulates immediately. This plaque combines saliva, fluids, and food, causing a sticky bacteria coating on your teeth.
The bacterium starts producing acids, causing damage to gums and tooth enamel. Ultimately, it hardens and forms into tartar, causing tooth decay. You will need to book an appointment with qualified professionals and dentists who might suggest root canal therapy.
How Untreated Cavities Infect the Root Canal System
Usually, a dentist can treat a cavity through fillings. But that is only possible when it is closer to the tooth’s surface. One of the most common root canal causes is untreated cavities, resulting in tooth decay and infections. As the cavities get more severe, the need for a root canal also rises.
The cavities may reach deeper into the interiors of teeth; the nerves present in your tooth pulp will send a pain signal to your brain. The tooth pulp refers to the center-filled mass of tissues present directly below the dentin layer. The process of tooth pulp sending signals to the brain caused by inflammation is also known as pulpitis.
Symptoms of Pulpitis
Not everyone suffering from pulpitis experiences pain and may not show any other symptoms. However, there could be some typical symptoms indicating that someone is suffering from pulpitis.
The symptoms include:
- Feeling pressure when you chew
- Rapid pain whenever you intake something sugary
- Experiencing sharp pain when breathing in air
- Having pain in the air and temple region
Occasionally, you can treat pulpitis with simple care. But that is only possible if the cavity has not reached the nerve tissue in the pulp. Even simple brushing, flossing, and having other medicine prescribed by the dentist can help you overcome pulpitis.
However, some pulpitis cases can pose serious dangers if left untreated. They result from invasive cavities, which have gone through the enamel to the pulp.
The decay causes inflammation, causing more pressure. The swelling restricts the overall blood flow, which causes the pulp to die. These cases are extreme and will not solve on their own. Most of the time, the patients will have to visit a dentist and remove their tooth or go for root canal therapy.
What Happens During Root Canal Therapy?
The root canal procedure is not painful at all. Thanks to improvements in technology and developments in effective anesthesia, the process has become seamless. The procedure saves your tooth, which otherwise had to be removed. The first step involves anesthesia, which numbs the area around the tooth.
Next, the dentist removes the affected pulp and nerve from the tooth. The inside of the tooth is cleaned and filled with a dental filling. The dentist also puts a crown on the tooth to secure it and restore it to its normal function.
How to Stop Cavities Turning into Root Canal?
Although root canal therapy is a seamless process that involves filling, it can be costly. Understandably, not many patients would like to go through it again. To prevent root canals, people should start taking care of their teeth. For instance, start brushing your teeth twice a day and be regular to dentist appointments.
Cavities that Result in Needing a Root Canal: Final Thoughts
Remember, the longer you wait, the worse consequences you might face. So if you are facing tooth complications, feel free to reach out to us and book an appointment with our qualified dentist or endodontist.
At Bryant Park Endodontics, we offer seamless root canal therapy performed by our highly qualified endodontist Young Bui, DDS.
Call for an appointment today!
Bryant Park Endodontics
30 East 40th Street Suite 1201
New York, NY 10016
646-205-3045
Drendo4u@yahoo.com