When you hear the term root canal treatment, what’s your first reaction? Do you immediately cringe because you have heard negative things? Do you smile because you have experienced one in the past and were overjoyed by the relief it brought you? When it comes to root canals, we find that patients without much experience with endodontic treatments have gathered a lot of misinformation, which can negatively affect their opinions. We are here to straighten things out!
Breaking Down The Terms
To begin, let’s ensure you’re familiar with some essential root canal treatment terms. They include the following:
- Root Canal: This is the area of your tooth that is considered the lowest area. It’s a chamber lined with dental pulp that provides a space for blood vessels and subsequent blood flow
- Dental Pulp: Pulp is soft tissue that lines the inner portion of the body of your tooth and your root canals (remember – they’re the lowest chambers)
What Is Root Canal Treatment?
You may hear this referred to simply as a root canal – though because your root canal is also a term for a portion of your tooth, things can get a little confusing. The root canal treatment is the procedure that we suggest for patients with damaged or infected dental pulp. The process requires us to numb your tooth, open the tooth, remove the damaged pulp, clean out the area, seal the tooth, and then usually to cover it with a dental crown for a thorough method of restoring an infected or damaged tooth.
