Serving patients of Erwin, Jonesborough, and Greeneville TN
Root canals have long been one of the most talked-about and feared dental procedures, especially among people who have dental anxiety. But if your dentist has told you that you need a root canal, we can assure you that the pain you’ve already experienced is far worse than you’ll feel in the dentist’s chair for a root canal. Once upon a time, perhaps root canals were painful and people had reason to fear them. But with modern medicines, dental equipment and procedures, our root canal dentist in Erwin can minimize your discomfort, repair your tooth and get you back home in hardly any time at all. Let’s dive into root canals today to help put your mind at ease.
The anatomy of a tooth
To understand what a root canal is, it’s important to understand the anatomy of a tooth, which is made up of two main parts: the crown, which is the top part of the tooth that is visible in the mouth, and the root, which is anchored into the jawbone.
Teeth also have:
- Enamel — the white, outer, protective shell of the tooth
- Dentin — a hard, yellow material under the enamel
- Dental pulp — soft tissue at the very center of the tooth that contains blood vessels, nerves and connective tissue that was necessary to grow the tooth’s root during its development.
The root canal system contains the dental pulp.
When is a root canal needed?
A root canal is needed when a tooth’s pulp is inflamed or infected.
What happens during the procedure?
A root canal is essentially a deep filling. During the procedure, a small hole is drilled into the infected tooth, and the pulp is removed. Our Greeneville root canal dentist will clean and disinfect the bacteria from the infected root canal then fill and seal the tooth to prevent reinfection. Finally, it will be capped with a custom-made crown to match your surrounding teeth. The root canal procedure, in just one or two dental appointments, saves your damaged natural tooth as opposed to it having to be extracted.
Why shouldn’t I fear a root canal?
Sometimes anticipation is far worse than reality, and that’s usually the case with root canals. Here are two simple reasons you shouldn’t fear a root canal procedure:
You’ll be numb
We will use local anesthesia to keep you completely numb throughout the procedure. We will constantly ask you how you feel to ensure your comfort. Most of our patients report that their root canal didn’t feel much different than getting a filling! Still, we understand that while numbing agents can help with pain, they don’t curb anxiety. If you believe that despite the medication we use to keep you numb, you will still be too anxious for the procedure, don’t hesitate to talk with our dental team about other options to help keep you calm.
You will feel relief
The worst pain you’ll feel during a root canal procedure is the pain you felt, well, before we start the procedure. An infected or abscessed tooth is extremely painful. We will take the pain away temporarily with numbing agents during the procedure, and the procedure, itself, will take your pain away for good.
Root canal in Erwin, Jonesborough and Greeneville, Tennessee
We know root canals may sound scary, but they’re essentially just deep fillings. Our dental team will do everything in its power to ensure your comfort and ease any anxiety you may have. If you have questions, or if you need to schedule your root canal procedure, call us at Tusculum Dental Care, (423) 639-7575, or reach out to us online today.