Root canal fall under a category in dentistry called Endodontics.   Root canals are probably the most notorious procedure in dentistry and the most common procedure relating to endodontics.  With modern techniques root canal therapy can be done in a painless fashion.  When a tooth becomes infected it is usually related to the nerves in the root of the tooth. The most common cause of the nerve getting infected is when a cavity gets large enough it invades the nerve of the tooth causing lingering sensitivity to cold and biting.  The infected nerves need to be removed. If left untreated an infection can turn into an abscess, which is a much more serious problem that includes bone loss in the jaw.

Finding a dentist who can see you quickly is important when you have a dental infection and here at our Frederick, MD office we provide same day emergency dental appointments.  So no need to worry about getting in quickly with other offices we are here to accomodate you as best as possible.

Here at Frederick Dental Group, we provide root canal therapy using advanced techniques using a Surgical microscope so we can see the small root canals containing diseased or infected tissues allowing us to be sure the infection and root canals are cleaning and debrided properly.  The area around the tooth is numbed with a local anesthetic to start the procedure. Dr. Verma is great at providing an almost painless anesthetic procedure making root canal therapy pretty much a painless procedure.

The dentist accesses the canals allowing  the abilty to remove infected tissue and clean the canal. After the infection has been removed, the space if filled with a sealant called gutta percha. It is highly recommended that a tooth that has undergone a root canal is fitted with a crown. This is due to fact the tooth becomes brittle with time.  Generally the reason a tooth requires a root canal to begin with is because the cavity was quite large compromising most of the tooth and thus a crown strengthens and restores the tooth back into proper form and function.  The other issue is a root canal treated tooth becomes brittle with time and if not crowned or capped often times cracks and breaks resulting in tooth loss.  This will improve the appearance of the tooth, and will also make it much more likely that the root canal is successful.

“Root canal” has become a scary term for dental patients to hear, but the benefits of the procedure and advances in dental technology have made it much less “scary”. Local anesthetics and proper pain medication allow the procedure to be performed with little to no pain in most cases. There may be some soreness following the procedure, but that is normal for most dental procedures. Over-the-counter painkillers are usually enough to relieve any pain afterwards, but your dentist may prescribe medication. The procedure will also relieve you from pain caused by the infection allowing you to enjoy all the foods you love without any pain from heat, cold, or biting too hard. If you are experiencing pain and suspect you may need a root canal give our office a call at 301-624-1001.