Root Canal Therapy

Don’t let the fear of a root canal keep you from seeking the relief you need. Root canal therapy is a highly effective procedure that saves your natural tooth while eliminating the pain caused by advanced infection. At Dental Solutions of Encinitas, Dr. Sherry Vakilian ensures your treatment is as comfortable and stress-free as possible, giving you the care you deserve.

Let us not only meet your dental care goals, but exceed them. If you are in severe oral discomfort, our office can treat your visit as a dental emergency, please contact our Encinitas dental practice online or by calling (760) 436-9292.

man getting dental exam

When Is Root Canal Therapy Needed?

Root canals are commonly performed to preserve your natural tooth following the spread of advanced infection. If you have an advanced cavity that is causing severe pain, Dr. Sherry Vakilian can safely and gently remove the infection at Dental Solutions of Encinitas. 

Contrary to what many people think, root canal therapy relieves oral pain more often than it causes discomfort. Dr. Vakilian will take extra care to ensure that your procedure is as comfortable as possible.

If your tooth cannot be saved, Dr. Vakilian will safely and gently remove the tooth through a commonly performed procedure called tooth extraction. Following either of these restorative treatments, patients can enjoy restored oral health and relief from pain.

Understanding Root Canals

When we think of teeth, most of us visualize the hard, outer layer made of enamel. But each of our teeth is a complex network of hard and soft tissue, from the interior chamber filled with dentin-pulp to the roots that connect to our jaws. 

Unfortunately, harmful bacteria can also take up residence in our mouths. If enough of this harmful bacteria builds up, it can cause gum disease, dental decay, and even infection that spreads through a tooth’s roots.

If left untreated, the advancing infection can cause serious damage to your oral health. This includes dental discomfort, facial swelling, and eventually tooth loss. 

Thankfully, root canal therapy is a specialized treatment that can preserve your natural teeth and improve your dental care.

Man with hand on mouth - in pain

What Are the Signs of an Infected Tooth?

If a bacterial infection has spread to a tooth’s chamber or root system, there are several signs including noticeable, visible changes. You should contact our office immediately if you experience any of the following:

  • Severe and persistent tooth pain
  • Swelling around your jaw or gums
  • Drastic tooth discoloration of a single tooth, making it appear darker than the others
  • Pimple-like blisters on your gums
  • Increased sensitivity to pressure or hot and cold temperatures

When an infection reaches the bundle of nerves, blood vessels, and soft tissue that constitute the pulp, the health of the entire tooth is placed at risk. Root canal infections can spread quickly and are often accompanied by moderate to severe oral pain. Root canal therapy eliminates the infection before it can spread to your jaw or surrounding soft tissue. Following a successful root canal, patients can benefit from restored oral health and the preservation of their natural teeth.

The Root Canal Procedure

Root canal therapy is performed at our Encinitas dental practice under the expert hands of Dr. Vakilian, who obtained her Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of California, San Francisco with honors. This outpatient procedure is performed using local anesthesia and possibly sedation.

While offering the incredible benefits of saving your natural teeth and reversing damage done by infection, the procedure is surprisingly straight forward.

  1. It begins by identifying which tooth has been compromised, the most common sign being pulpitis (inflammation of your tooth’s interior tissue).
  2. Next, we ensure you are as comfortable as possible and apply localized anesthesia. This allows us to begin removing infected or diseased tissue from both inside your tooth or the roots underneath the gumline. 
  3. To promote a quicker recovery of your oral health and ensure the infection won’t return, we thoroughly clean and disinfect the area as well. Antibiotics may be prescribed if the infection was severe, showed signs of spreading, or if you have a condition that weakens your immune system.
  4. The final step of this process is strengthening your freshly cleaned tooth. There are several options that accomplish this, from placing dental inlays/onlays in the cusp of your tooth or using a dental crown that covers the surface of your tooth.

Candidacy for Root Canal Therapy and Tooth Extraction

The first sign that a patient may require tooth extraction or root canal therapy is the sudden onset of pain. This discomfort may follow an accident or the advancement of a cavity. This is one reason why the dental team of Dental Solutions of Encinitas emphasizes preventative care through twice-a-year checkups and exams. Often, the dental problems that lead to the need for invasive restorative treatments can be treated early or prevented altogether. 

Our Encinitas dental practice employs advanced technology to diagnose the cause of oral pain and other dental problems.

Prevent Tooth Loss and Restore Oral Health with Root Canal Therapy

Root canal therapy can restore oral health while relieving pain. If you have experienced the sudden onset of pain from one of your teeth, you should treat that symptom as a potential dental emergency. 

Preventing tooth loss, preserving your oral health, and eliminating infection is easy with the help of the dedicated professionals at Dental Solutions of Encinitas. Your smile is our passion and there’s no happier smile than a healthy one. Don’t go another day with an infected tooth putting your well-being at risk. Contact our office and schedule your root canal therapy consultation.

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