We rescue badly damaged teeth with painless root canal therapy … a deep clean for the inside of your tooth!
Don’t fear root canal treatment –embrace it! Root canal treatment has an unfair reputation. It is associated with pain and a negative experience. The toothy truth is that RCT quickly relieves painful problems. Often, it is the last-ditch treatment to save a badly decayed tooth from extraction. Ultimately, with the exception of wisdom teeth, we want to make every effort to preserve the natural teeth that developed alongside you. Restorative procedures are largely more affordable and conservative and require less time than those procedures to remove and replace teeth.
Dr. Bartholomew Kreiner to the rescue!
First, patients who visit our Bel Air, Maryland office will undergo an exam. Dr. Kreiner needs to understand the true nature and root cause of any undesirable symptoms that you may be experiencing. Generally, tooth and gum problems are “silent” in their earliest stages. It is only after damage has occurred that patients may experience heightened tooth sensitivity, pain, and other noticeable changes.
Teeth that are typically good candidates for root canal therapy have deep or severe decay that has affected the innermost parts of the tooth (its pulp). The pulp contains nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissue. It is responsible for the sensation of pain that is often experienced when the tooth has sustained deep internal damage.
The process
Root canal treatment is a non-surgical procedure. It may be compared to a cleaning of the inside of the tooth. That is essentially what Dr. Kreiner is doing – he accesses the inside of the tooth by making a small opening in its crown. The damaged pulp is removed. Then the surrounding root canals are sterilized and reshaped. Once the tooth has a clean slate, it is sealed off to encourage healing and prevent further damage. To ensure the long-term strength and health of the treated tooth, we will need to restore it with a lovely dental filling or crown.
Since the nervy pulp is no longer present, you won’t feel any more pain. With consistent home care and regular visits to our office for check-ups and professional cleanings, most RCT-treated teeth require no further treatment. While RCT has a high success rate, not all teeth can be preserved with this technique or even alternative surgical endodontic procedures. The sooner that you can treat a damaged tooth, the better. If the tooth is “too far gone,” the only choice may be to remove it and start with bridges, dentures, or implants.
So, do not sit on changes like strange discoloration or jarring aches when biting down. Call us immediately at (410) 983-6775 to schedule your exam with Dr. Kreiner at our office in Bel Air, MD, today.