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Ask a General Dentist: Is a Tooth Dead After a Root Canal

Posted by Osuna Dental Care Oct 02, 2021

This is a thumbnail image of blog Ask a General Dentist: Is a Tooth Dead After a Root Canal

A root canal treatment is the process of removing the pulp and nerve tissue of the tooth. It is used to treat an infection or abscess at the root of the tooth. The treatment is necessary when the pulp, or tissue inside the tooth, becomes inflamed or infected. The pulp contains blood vessels, connective tissue, and nerves. If it becomes infected, a root canal treatment is necessary to remove the infection. A root canal treatment is necessary when the pulp becomes inflamed or infected. The pulp contains blood vessels, connective tissue, and nerves. If it becomes infected, a root canal treatment is necessary to remove the infection. A root canal treatment can relieve toothaches caused by the infection. Root canal treatments can also prevent the need for tooth extraction.

What Is A Root Canal Treatment?

A root canal treatment is a specific dental treatment that is used to repair and save a tooth that is badly decayed or infected. Essentially, it removes the damaged area of the tooth and places an artificial crown on top to restore its function and shape. 

During the initial visit, we will administer local anesthesia to numb the area and eliminate any discomfort you may feel during the procedure. Then, we will use a small drill to access the interior structure of a tooth that needs a root canal. Using small instruments, we remove the pulp inside the tooth that contains nerves and blood vessels. We will then thoroughly clean the tooth, which can eliminate infection as well. Once that occurs, we will place a filling material into the type and allow it to harden. Finally, we will seal the tooth with a dental crown.

As you can probably tell from the title, this treatment actually “saves” the affected tooth by removing the infection that caused the need for the root canal in the first place. Without this treatment, the infection would continue to worsen until it is too severe to treat, which can lead to the loss of your tooth altogether. So, it really is a wonderful solution for saving teeth that are suffering from decay or infection.

Is a Tooth Dead After a Root Canal?

No, your tooth has not been “dead”—and it never will be. A dead tooth is one that has decayed so much that the pulp is completely damaged and infected. When this occurs, there is no way to save the tooth, and it must be removed. But when a root canal is performed on a tooth that has a healthy root but has been so badly injured or affected by decay that it cannot repair itself naturally, then it is no longer living tissue. However, this does not mean that it will never function again! On the contrary, it will function normally as long as the restoration is successful.

Request an appointment or call Osuna Dental Care: Chris Y. Kim DDS at (505) 884-1989 for an appointment in our Albuquerque office.

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