For most people, there’s nothing more frightening than to hear the dreaded two words “root canal.” But if you have unwanted tooth pain and need a root canal, don’t be scared. When a tooth hurts, it could be because there’s something wrong with the nerve that lives inside of it. A root canal can not only get rid of the pain — it can save your tooth. And usually, the root canal procedure is completely pain free during the procedure, with minimal discomfort afterwards.
When a cavity gets too deep inside a tooth, it can allow bacteria from the cavity to irritate the nerve, a condition that can be quite painful. When this happens, the only way to save the tooth is a root canal treatment, or removing the infected nerve tissue and replacing it with medication.
In other cases, nerve-related tooth pain or sensitivity can occur when a large filling or existing crown gets too close to the nerve. This is a possibility whenever significant dental work is done on a tooth, although it may not happen for years. When it does reach this point, a root canal will relieve the pain and sensitivity.
Once the root canal is complete, your dentist will likely recommend a dental crown for the tooth to keep it strong and prevent it from breaking.