Crown Dental Group | Inglewood, CA | Dental & Orthodontics
In the case of an infected tooth or an abscess, a root canal is typically the most effective treatment. If a patient wants to save the tooth, antibiotics often won’t help. This is because the antibiotics cannot get into the tooth root, and the infection will return as soon as the patient stops taking the antibiotics. Because of this, a root canal is performed to clean out the tooth and seal it off from further infection, allowing the body a full recovery.
A root canal involves opening up an infected tooth and using various tools to clean out the infection. Once the infection is cleared out, the dentist or endodontist (a root canal specialist) will fill the tooth with a special material to seal the tooth and prevent any future infections from occurring. This not only clears up the infection, but also allows you to keep your tooth.
It is a common misconception that root canals hurt. Many people avoid getting them for this reason and suffer through painful infections out of fear and end up losing the tooth. It is important to remember that a root canal is a positive treatment because it allows you to keep your tooth. With modern anesthetics, the procedure is much more comfortable.
Call us or schedule appointment immediately if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms:
Not only can an infected tooth make eating and drinking painful, it can also lead to more serious health concerns.
Root canals vary in cost depending on which tooth is being treated. A tooth with more canals requires more work, and is therefore costlier. This means that a root canal on your front teeth costs less than your back teeth.
Root Canals are also cheaper than the alternative, which is extracting the infected tooth and placing an implant. Plus, you have the added benefit of keeping your own tooth.