Root Canal Therapy – Rock Hill, SC
Preserving Your Natural Smile
Severe toothaches and sensitivity in a specific tooth are a primary signs of an infection that’s hidden below the surface of your tooth inside the inner chamber. Treating this sensitive area requires root canal therapy, which is a special treatment that offers countless benefits. Unfortunately, root canals are also notoriously misunderstood, and rumored to be painful. You’ll be pleased to know that this isn’t actually true. Nowadays, your dentist uses advanced technology that makes root canal therapy in Rock Hill, SC fast, effective, and virtually painless. At Coombs, Ross & Sourlis Family Dentistry, our team does everything we can to make our patients comfortable, including offering sedation!
What Is Root Canal Therapy?
Root canal therapy in Rock Hill allows our team to save your natural tooth from extraction by accessing and removing the inner infected portion called the pulp. This is a cluster of nerves and tissue that’s hidden in the chamber of your tooth and is causing your toothache. When a cavity goes left untreated, harmful oral bacteria are able to gain access to this area and infect it, causing severe pain that can spread to other teeth if it’s not addressed early on.
During a root canal procedure, Dr. Coombs, Dr. Ross, or Dr. Sourlis will remove the infected pulp, sanitize the inside of your tooth, and fill it with a composite resin to seal it off from further harm. After topping it with a protective dental crown made to look identical to your natural teeth, you’ll be able to use your treated tooth just as you would before it was infected.
Signs You Need a Root Canal
The most common symptom that we notice patients who end up needing a root canal exhibit is a severe toothache. This is because the nerves in their teeth are exposed to harmful substances in their mouth. Some other symptoms to look out for at home include:
- Sensitivity to hot and cold temperatures.
- Pain when you bite or chew food.
- Swollen or red gums.
- A pimple-like bump on the gums.
If you notice any of these symptoms, it’s important to seek help immediately. At Coombs, Ross & Sourlis Family Dentistry, we offer urgent emergency dental care and will fit you in for an appointment as soon as possible to ensure that you don’t have to be in pain longer than necessary.
Getting a Root Canal
When you visit our dental office for a root canal in Rock Hill, we’ll begin by making sure you feel comfortable. If necessary, we may suggest sedation dentistry to allow us to work more quickly and efficiently so you don’t have to sit in the treatment chair for too long.
We’ll start the procedure by numbing the area surrounding your affected tooth with local anesthesia. That way, you won’t be able to feel any pain or discomfort. After that, we’ll make a small access point in your tooth to reach the inner chamber where your infected pulp is located. Using special small tools, we’ll remove the pulp and sanitize the inside of your tooth to make sure that no harmful oral bacteria remain. Using a putty-like substance called composite resin, we’ll fill the tooth to restore its shape. For extra strength and protection, we’ll cement a customized crown on top of it.
If you’re having severe tooth pain and need immediate attention, don’t hesitate to contact our dental office today. We’ll guide you through necessary first-aid and make sure that you’re protected from any further harm by providing you with high-quality and thorough treatment.