A Root Canal Dentist in Woodland Hills: Explaining the Basics of a Root Canal

John M. Chaves, DDS is intimately aware of the fear people have of a root canal. In many senses, the procedure of a root canal has become the boogeyman of dentistry. Part of this is because people associate a root canal with extreme pain and have labeled the procedure as being among the most painful you can get. However, from the experiences of a root canal dentist in Woodland Hills, the unbiased truth is that the root canal procedure itself is no more uncomfortable than a tooth filling, sometimes even less so. Once the root canal procedure is completed, the pain you are feeling will start fading. However, people have used the power of association to associate the pain they feel from an infected tooth, which is what brought them to the dentist chair for a root canal in the first place, with the procedure itself. It is a hard psychological battle to win, but at the end of the day, you should leave your root canal dentist with a cleaned out tooth, the infected pulp gone, and on the road to recovery with no more pain, all of which are actually positive things.

Learn More About Root Canals

When you get a root canal from your root canal dentist, we remove the root of the tooth and also the pulp from the inside of the tooth. The pulp is the filling on the inside of the softest part of the tooth. This portion of the tooth also contains the blood vessels and connective tissue the body uses to nourish and sustain the tooth. When the pulp is damaged for any number of reasons, it starts to break down. Within a matter of a very short time, the inner chamber of the tooth, or the pulp area, becomes awash with oral bacteria. This bacteria is what causes the infection and the pain you experience. Sometimes, the infection is so bad, it will cause the appearance of an abscess, or a pus-filled growth, outside the tooth and by the root itself. Once the pulp has been infected, it is up to your root canal dentist to save the tooth by performing a root canal procedure. Since the root gets easily infected and serves no purpose other than sensory, we remove the root as well to remove all the infection.

Do I Need a Root Canal?

People sometimes wonder if they would know if their teeth were infected enough to warrant the services of a root canal dentist. The answer is yes, you would definitely know. For one, you would find yourself in pain, which can vary from sharp to dull and from long-lasting to pain that comes and goes. However, the one thing that will not change is the fact that the pain never really goes away. Next, you would notice an infection of your gums, which is manifested by swelling. Finally, your teeth would become extremely sensitive to hot and cold, known as a thermal insult, sending shooting pains into your gum when exposed. If you have any or all of these symptoms, it is time to see your dentist.