A root canal may be the most feared of all dental procedures. For people living near Menlo Park, it doesn’t have to be.
A root canal, or endodontic therapy, involves drilling down into a tooth to repair damage or remove infected material at the base of the tooth, the root canal. The repaired and disinfected tooth is then filled, leaving the tooth looking perfectly normal, although dead. This may sound like an intimidating procedure, when done correctly by a skilled dentist it is actually fairly painless.
The pain associated with a root canal procedure is actually caused by an infected abscess at the base of the tooth. The root canal procedure itself can be performed under local anesthetic, and with proper pain managing medications following the procedure, many root canal patients find themselves asking why they waited so long to have the procedure done.
The root canal procedure itself will usually take between one and two hours depending on the extent of the damage that must be repaired.
The two most important points of a root canal procedure are to, first, ensure that all infected material has been removed, and second, to make certain that the repaired tooth is properly sealed after the procedure. A failure to remove all infected material will result in the infection continuing, and likely worsening, which will then require further, more invasive dental procedures. If the tooth is not properly sealed after the procedure, internal decay may result. This is particularly dangerous, because after a root canal procedure the tooth is left without its blood supply and nutrient source, making it vulnerable. At Dental Excellence in Menlo Park, Dr. Nguyen takes the time and care necessary to ensure that any infected material has been properly removed and the damaged tooth fully sealed.
An untreated infected root can have serious consequences, including tooth loss, and the possibility of the infection spreading and resulting in illness. If this is not enough to convince you to take action, the steadily increasing pain from the steadily growing abscess will soon make it difficult to think of anything else. If you are living around the Bay Area and Menlo Park specifically, and are experiencing persistent tooth pain, you should call Dental Excellence.
The importance of finding a skilled dentist cannot be overstated, if you are in need of a root canal. Dr. Nguyen at Dental Excellence in Menlo Park has been performing root canal procedures for more than 8 years. Her philosophy has always been to provide personalized care for her patients, which she achieves by seeing only one patient at a time.
At other Menlo Park dental practices you may find the doctor performing your root canal is running in and out of the room, seeing multiple patients while performing your root canal. At Dental Excellence, Dr. Nguyen will be with you for the entirety of the procedure.
If you are new to Menlo Park, or are simply unhappy with your old dentist do yourself a favor and try the personalized care available at Dental Excellence.
