Dr. Jay J.Kopf
Why Saving Your Natural Teeth is Always the Best Option?
Nothing looks, feels, or functions like your very own natural teeth.
Teeth care
Extra care for your teeth
Normal brushing as well as flossing, in addition to regular check-ups from your dentist at least twice per year, can help you keep your teeth healthy for a lifetime.
Sometimes your teeth may develop infection or disease and will need added care to keep it healthy. It is always best to try and save your natural teeth when possible. You may think that it is easier to have the tooth extracted, particularly if it is a back tooth that is not visible, but conserving your natural teeth is always the best option.
Never extract a tooth simply because you may think that it is much easier or more cost-effective. Missing teeth can cause various other teeth to move, can negatively influence your capability to properly chew and change your smile. Tooth extraction is usually much more painful than the infection itself and replacing an extracted tooth with a dental implant or bridge requires extra dental visits that can promptly add up.
Modern endodontic treatment can make it easy to save your natural teeth. New developments and treatment innovations, as well as new products, provide many treatment alternatives to help save your natural teeth. This is why its important to know your options, and exactly how they’ll impact both your teeth as well as your future oral health.
When possible, it is best to maintain your natural teeth and endodontic therapy is usually the best option for this. Endodontists essentially are professionals in saving teeth. They can evaluate your problem as well as provide the best therapy plan to help you keep your natural teeth for a lifetime.
Here are some tips for saving your natural teeth:
– When offered a selection in between tooth extraction and also root canal treatment, always opt for a root canal. No denture, bridge or implant will look, feel and function as a natural tooth. Remember, you can always extract the tooth later, but if the root canal is successful, it can last a lifetime.
– Act right away if you experience signs of swelling, discomfort, or sensitivity. Our office can accommodate dental emergencies promptly. We can ensure you that you will be seen quickly.
– If your dentist recommends a tooth extraction, always remember to ask whether a root canal is a viable alternative. It never hurts to ask.
– If you are told that a root canal is not an alternative, you can always get a second opinion. Request a referral to an endodontist or call our office to schedule a consult.
Root canal treatment from an endodontist is essentially pain-free and also leaves you with less pain throughout healing process as compared to a dental extraction. Thanks to modern techniques, equipment, and anesthetics, patients who experience root canals are 6 times more likely to describe it as pain-free than individuals who have actually a tooth removed! Learn more about root canal therapy and how a root canal may be the best option for you. Learn about the common misconceptions and take the first step to a healthy, pain-free mouth by calling our office to setup an appointment.
Save your tooth
How Can Endodontic Treatment Save Your Tooth?
It’s required to have endodontic or root canal treatment when the nerve within your tooth (the pulp) gets infected or inflamed because of faulty dental crowns, deep fillings, or a fracture in the root of the tooth. Additionally, injury to your tooth might also cause pulp damage which will require a root canal. The tooth may or may not have visible chips or splits for it to need a root canal. If pulp swelling or infection is left without treatment, it can cause discomfort or result in an abscess, and eventually may become a dental emergency.
When you have endodontic therapy, or root canal treatment, the inflamed or infected dental tissue (pulp) is carefully removed. The canals within the tooth are carefully disinfected and cleansed, then they are filled and sealed with a rubber-like material called gutta-percha. Once the root canal treatment is complete your tooth can be restored with a conventional dental crown that will look, feel, and continue to work like any other tooth.
Root canal therapy will help you maintain your natural smile and will allow you to continue eating the foods you love without the discomfort. One of the best parts about root canal therapy is that you will not require ongoing or additional dental treatments. With proper care and maintenance, a tooth that has been treated with a root canal can last your whole life.
Is it a big pain?
Root Canal Myths
For many individuals the thought of getting a root canal brings up painful images and arouses feelings of fear, but this does not have to be the case. Your opinion about root canals will change once you are more familiar with the procedure. There are common misconceptions that endodontic treatments such as root canals, cause pain and/or illness and should be avoided at all costs. This is not the case, in fact, the exact opposite is true.
There is more pain, more inconvenience, and more cost by avoiding endodontic treatment or choosing a dental extraction. It’s even worse if you decide to wait and see if the pain gets better, it seldom does. The longer you postpone treatment the more you lower the chance of saving your natural tooth. Take the time to read the information on our website to find out what endodontists do to save teeth with minimal time and discomfort. If you still have questions after that or are apprehensive about root canal treatment, call our office and we will be happy to answer all your questions.
Myth #1:
I heard that root canal treatment is painful
The simple answer to that is no, root canal treatment today is not painful. 10-15 years ago, this was not the case, but with modern technological advancements and new generation anesthetics you won’t experience any more pain than if you went to have a cavity filled. Toothaches are often caused by inflamed, infected, or damaged tissues in the tooth pulp. This can be easily alleviated when an endodontist removes this tissue through root canal therapy. Another reason that root canal therapy is essentially pain-free is because endodontists are experts in pain management, and most cases can be handled quickly and in a comfortable manner.
Myth #2:
I heard that root canal treatment can make you sick
We have heard that some people on the Internet believe that if you receive a root canal treatment, you’re more likely to get sick or contract an illness in the future. This simply is not true. This false information was based upon long debunked and poorly developed study conducted virtually a century back, long before contemporary medication recognized the causes of many diseases. There is no legitimate, clinical proof connecting root canal therapy to disease elsewhere in the body. In fact, the opposite is true, having active dental infections may affect other parts of the body, like your heart, and that can definitely make you sick.
Myth #3:
I heard that it is better to get a tooth extracted rather than getting a root canal
If there is a possibility of saving your natural teeth it is always worth trying. Nothing can replace the appearance of your natural teeth so it’s essential to consider root canal therapy as a viable alternative to tooth extraction. Replacing a tooth with a bridge or dental implant requires more time in the dental chair, many more appointments, and usually a bigger financial commitment. It may even require further procedures to adjacent teeth as well.
