It is not uncommon for our patients to feel apprehensive about needing root canal treatment. Traditionally, root canals have been associated with pain and discomfort. This is actually quite far from the truth! Modern root canals are virtually painless procedures with the purpose of eliminating tooth pain, not causing more.
Root canals become necessary when a cavity or dental decay penetrates through the enamel and dentin of a tooth, reaching the fleshy dental pulp at the center of the tooth. At this point, the infection is in danger of spreading farther down into the jawline. Root canals allow us to prevent tooth extraction, healing a tooth that might otherwise be irreparable. Treatment removes the infection and all decayed or dead pulp from the tooth, refilling the canal in which the pulp resides (called the “root canal”) with a strong, biocompatible material. Root canals may seem daunting, but with our training and technology, your treatment at our Hixson, TN, office will be comfortable and efficient. Many times, we are able to perform root canals and restore teeth with dental crowns all in one appointment!
Commonly, after root canals, teeth will need to be capped with dental crowns to provide strength and protection. We use our CEREC technology to make this possible on the day of your treatment! Once your root canal procedure is complete, we will prepare the tooth and take impressions. With our design software, we will create a digital dental crown, then send this information to our in-house milling machine. While you wait in the dentist’s chair, we will make any final adjustments, then bond the dental crown to your tooth to restore its size, shape, and beauty!
