Restorative dental treatments are typically designed with three main goals in mind – to stop the damage or decay from progressing, restore your bite’s function, and preserve as much healthy tooth structure as possible. In most cases, all three can be achieved with a minimally invasive, custom-designed treatment such as tooth filling. However, in more severe cases, treatment can be more complex. For instance, if the tooth’s cavity is more than just moderate, than you may need root canal therapy to treat it instead of just a filling.
The Nature of Severe Tooth Infection
Tooth infection, commonly known as tooth decay, is a progressive problem. Even if it’s minor when you first notice it, it can quickly become more serious if you wait to address it. The condition involves harmful oral bacteria attacking your healthy tooth structure after eroding the protective enamel around it. It often leads to increasing tooth sensitivity, which is why many patients are able to catch and treat it early with a minor tooth filling.
The Need for Root Canal Therapy
Despite the discomfort that tooth decay causes, patients often don’t seek treatment before it’s allowed to grow severe. As time goes by, the infection can surpass your tooth’s main body of dentin and reach the hollow pulp chamber at its center. This pulp contains nerves, blood vessels, and other soft tissues, which your jawbone uses to feed your tooth the nutrients it needs. Root canal therapy is necessary to clean away these tissues when they become infected and seal the root canal so that the decay doesn’t spread beyond the tooth. It also alleviates the severe pain associated with internal tooth decay.
Learn why do I need a root canal?
If your tooth is severely decayed, then you may need root canal therapy to remove the infection and restore the tooth’s health and integrity. To learn more, schedule a consultation by calling Lake Forest Dental Arts in Lake Forest, IL, at 847-234-0517. We also proudly serve residents of Chicago and all surrounding communities in the Chicago Metro area.