Root Canal in Wilmington

A root canal is a procedure specifically designed to save you from losing a tooth. Our teeth are comprised of certain parts, one of them being the pulp. A tooth’s pulp is where the nerve, blood vessels, and connective tissue are housed. When this area becomes inflamed or infected, then action must be taken in order to save that tooth from falling right out of your mouth.

How Do I Know if I Might Need a Root Canal?

When your pulp becomes inflamed or infected, you will begin to feel symptoms and signs that prompt you to take action. Some common symptoms and signs are toothache, abscess, sensitivity, and discoloration.

Toothache

It is not unusual for us to have toothache; however, toothache may suggest the possibility of an inflamed/infected pulp. For an example, if you experience pain when eating something sweet or sharp pain in the middle of the night that leads into a generalized headache, your tooth’s root may be suffering.

Abscess

If you see a bump near the top part of a tooth and/or pus present in the mouth, then there’s a good chance a root canal will be required.

Sensitivity

Extreme pain to hot and cold foods is a good indicator.

Discoloration

Dark discoloration on the tooth points to a deteriorated pulp. This is a severe sign.

Don't Wait Around

Masking the pain using anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen will only worsen your problem. Contact our office immediately, especially if you notice a reoccurring pain that doesn’t seem to go away. The sooner the problem is addressed, the better the chance to fix and save your tooth avoid further complicate unwanted results including extraction and/or costly procedures

The Procedure

During the first appointment, our dentist will treat the cavity, decay, bacterial infection and remove all damaged blood vessels, nerves and connective tissues. The entire inside of the tooth is carefully cleaned and disinfected, then filled and sealed with a substance called gutta-percha.

During the second appointment, your tooth is restored with a dental crown for protection since most of your tooth with be lost due to the decay and damage of the root. Once the dental crown is applied, your tooth will continue to appear and function like any regular tooth.

Feel free to call our office at 310-835-0251 to learn more about the root canal procedure or any other services we provide. We will be happy to assist you with any questions or concerns you may have.