Averting Tooth Loss with Root Canal Treatment
Treating tooth decay and cavities with custom-designed fillings can usually stop them from growing worse. However, it doesn’t take very long for tooth decay to progress enough to make a filling insufficient. When the infection in your tooth structure reaches the vulnerable nerves and blood tissues in its center chamber (pulp), root canal treatment may be the only way to remove it and restore your tooth. The process is more involved than placing a filling because the infection is more invasive, meaning more of your tooth structure and tissues have to be removed to restore your tooth. Fortunately, root canal treatment isn’t as complicated as many patients believe, and with a combination of extensive experience and advanced dental techniques, we can often complete the procedure in just one visit.
Determining if Root Canal Treatment Is Necessary
After determining that your tooth has become decayed, we’ll then determine which treatment option is best to address it. If the decay is still mild enough and contained in your tooth’s main structure (dentin), then a filling may still be the best option. However, if it is more advanced, then we may have to carefully clean the pulp chamber at the tooth’s center and the root canal that’s connected to it. Removing the infection relieves the intense discomfort and the threat of your decay growing even more severe. To restore the tooth’s strength, we’ll fill the root canal, pulp, and cavity in your dentin with biocompatible materials, and then cap the tooth with a lifelike dental crown.
Find Out if You Really Need Root Canal Treatment
If your tooth has become severely and internally infected, then you may be able to relieve the discomfort and save the tooth with custom root canal treatment. For more information, schedule an appointment by calling Gateway Dental Group in downtown Des Moines, IA, today at (515) 244-9565. We also proudly serve patients from West Des Moines, Ankeny, Urbandale, Johnston, and all surrounding communities.