Do I Need A Root Canal?

A toothache is never fun. A painful tooth can make eating and speaking difficult or even impossible. Most people can live with a mild toothache until it suddenly becomes unbearable. The key is to visit our dental office at that initial stage, before you reach the point of severe discomfort. Visiting Gables Exceptional Dentistry gives you the most options for treating the problem. To schedule an appointment with our family dental office, call (305) 614-2438.

If you are wondering if your toothache means you need a root canal, the answer is not necessarily. Your tooth could be hurting for several reasons, including:

  • Food is stuck in between your teeth or between the ridges on the chewing surfaces of your teeth
  • You have a cavity
  • Your tooth is chipped or cracked
  • You may have enamel erosion

At Gables Exceptional Dentistry, we may be able to treat the problem without needing to perform a root canal. For example, we can clean your teeth and remove any food particles causing discomfort. If you have a cavity, we can remove the decay and place a filling at our Coral Gables, FL family dental office. If your tooth is chipped or cracked, we can restore it using dental bonding or a dental veneer. If you are dealing with erosion, you may need dental crowns to protect your teeth. We also restore teeth daily and have several ways of doing so.

Other Factors to Consider

There are times when a root canal is the best course of action, so we must also look at the surrounding circumstances.

How long has your tooth been hurting?

When you visit our dental office in Coral Gables, FL, we need to know how long you have been dealing with tooth pain and whether it came on suddenly or gradually increased over time. This will help us determine the source of the discomfort and create your custom treatment plan.

What level of pain are you in?

We will ask you about your pain and whether it is manageable. If it is only slight discomfort, you may not need a root canal. In many cases, a toothache indicates a cavity that can be treated in our Coral Gables family dentist office. Intense pain, on the other hand, can be a sign of a severe infection that requires a root canal.

When to Call Our Emergency Dentist Office

If you have any of these symptoms, you should call our emergency dentist office at (305) 614-2438 and schedule an appointment to be seen right away.

  • Your face is swollen. In this scenario, you could have a severe infection and require an immediate root canal. As a Coral Gables dentist near you, we can quickly examine and treat you.
  • You are having difficulty swallowing. In this case, you need to be treated by our emergency dentist office immediately. Do not delay or take any chances. It is possible to develop a dental abscess, an infection that can spread from your root canal to the floor of your mouth and even into your neck. An infection this serious requires urgent care.
  • You cannot bite down without pain. In this case, your tooth could be infected and require a standard root canal. If so, we can perform the procedure quickly.
  • Your tooth is changing color. Another sign of an infection is if the tooth begins to change color, appearing gray or dull, and performing a root canal could be necessary for restoring the health of your tooth.

The Process of Performing a Root Canal

At Gables Exceptional Dentistry, we care about your comfort. Our expert team of dental professionals will make sure your root canal treatment is painless.

A root canal does not have to hurt at all. In fact, with modern sedation dentistry, you will feel calm and relaxed throughout the procedure. When it is all over, you’ll be out of pain because a root canal removes the infection, which is the real cause of your discomfort.

When performing root canal therapy at our family dentist office, we:

  • Clean the tooth
  • Numb the area
  • Create a small hole in the tooth
  • Remove the infected portion
  • Clean the inside of the tooth
  • Seal it with a rubbery substance
  • Restore the tooth using a filling or crown

Schedule an Examination

We can treat your damaged or infected tooth and improve the appearance of your smile with additional solutions like professional teeth whitening, dental veneers, dental implants, and dental crowns. To schedule an examination or to learn more about root canal therapy, call (305) 614-2438.