How a root canal from your dentist in Bakersfield, CA, can help heal your tooth
Tooth pain can be excruciating. It can keep you up at night and keep you from enjoying your life. The good news is, root canal therapy can eliminate your tooth pain and still let you keep your tooth and your smile. Dr. Ivan Medina-Martinez in Bakersfield, CA, offers a wide range of dental services, including root canal therapy to help heal your painful tooth.
So, how do you know if you need a root canal, and not just a filling? You need root canal therapy when the innermost layer of your tooth, an area known as the pulp, becomes bruised, damaged, or infected. Inflammation, fluid, and pressure build up inside your tooth, causing pain which can be severe.
There are some noticeable signs and symptoms you need a root canal, including:
- Acute, stabbing pain when you bite down or chew
- Chronic, throbbing pain even after a restoration has been placed
- Increasing pain when your tooth is exposed to hot or cold foods or beverages
When the pulp is damaged, the tooth begins to die. Sometimes, there are no painful symptoms. You just may notice a tooth becoming darker compared to the teeth next to it. You may also notice a white or red bump on your gums next to a tooth root. You may experience blood or pus draining out of the bump on your gums.
If you do need root canal therapy, don’t worry. Root canal treatment has become state-of-the-art. Your dentist, Dr. Medina-Martinez, will simply create an opening in the top of your tooth and draw out the infected, diseased tissue. He will place a sedative material inside your tooth that eliminates the inflammation and resolves your symptoms.
Once the tooth is no longer painful, he will remove the sedative material and replace it with an inert material. The opening is closed with a small permanent filling, and you’re done! He may recommend a dental crown be placed on your tooth to protect the tooth from breaking.
Don’t put up with tooth pain when relief is just a phone call away. To find out more about root canal therapy and other dental services, call Dr. Ivan Medina-Martinez in Bakersfield, CA, today at 661-741-0310. We are located at 3403 Wilson Rd. in Bakersfield, CA 93309. Our webpage is IvanMedinaDDS.com.