Once upon a time, if a patient had a severely damaged tooth he or she had few treatment options. Eventually, the damaged tooth would need to be pulled, or it would fall out naturally after wreaking havoc on the patient’s smile.
Thankfully, those days are long gone! Now, if you have a seriously damaged tooth our Elmhurst dentists can treat your tooth with root canal therapy.
The outer layers of the tooth—the dental enamel and the dentin—protect the core of your tooth. The inside of your tooth houses blood vessels, nerves, and other vulnerable tissues. While the outer layers of your tooth are strong and fairly nonporous, they are not impervious to damage.
If your tooth is damaged down to the dental core—either due to infection of injury—our dental team will remove the compromised material, including the dental roots. Then, we will sterilize the remaining parts of the tooth to minimize the risk of re-infection. Finally, we restore the tooth with high-quality dental materials, so that you can jump back into your regular routine.
Successful root canal therapy can save a tooth that would otherwise fall out or have to be pulled. Prompt root canal treatment can also prevent serious dental infections from spreading from the affected tooth to other teeth and oral tissues.
There are varying levels of oral infections from which patients can suffer; not all infected teeth require root canal therapy. Our dental team will be able to guide you toward the appropriate treatments for your smile once we assess your oral health.
If you are concerned about the state of your smile, please feel free to call our Elmhurst dentists to schedule a consultation. The sooner that you get the preventive and restorative treatments that you need, the better off you will be!