General Dentistry

Root canals are necessary when the soft tissues (containing nerves and blood vessels) in a patient’s tooth are infected. Tooth pain can indicate a serious issue, but Dr. Seider can intervene and help preserve your tooth’s function with the right steps. If your tooth hurts or is sensitive or swollen, it might be the result of decay, which means it can be easily fixed through root canal therapy. The treatment relieves pain and also saves your tooth from extraction.

Every tooth consists of three different layers. The outermost and hardest layer is enamel, and the second layer is dentin. The third is pulp, which is the cavernous space where the live tissue and nerve of each tooth is located. Tooth decay begins to happen when bacteria eat away at the enamel, and you can often tell this is happening when it hurts to bite or chew. This is because of the weakened enamel and there’s less protection between the underlying nerves and the outside world. When the decay becomes advanced, it can affect the deep structures of the tooth, including blood vessels and nerves, causing the patient pain even without putting pressure on it. When detected early, tooth decay can be easily corrected with a simple composite filling or similar restorative technique. When the decay becomes an infection that spreads beyond the outer layers of the enamel and invades the pulp and root, root canal therapy is usually necessary. During the root canal procedure, the inflamed/infected tissue is removed from the canal inside the root of the tooth, which is then cleaned and sealed.

Root canal therapy is designed to eliminate bacteria that have infected the internal canal system of a tooth and prevent reinfection in the future. This treatment will save your natural tooth and restore its function through minor surgical techniques. Additionally, root canal treatment can effectively relieve pain associated with a damaged or infected nerve.