The good news about toothaches is that, although common, nearly every type of toothache has a cure. Unfortunately, that cure may sometimes be more involved than people realize, especially if the toothache is the result of a severe tooth infection. In its severe form, tooth infection (or tooth decay) can directly affect the blood vessels and nerves in the pulp and root canal of the tooth. If this is the cause of your intense toothache, then you may need to have the infected tissues and nerves removed and replaced with conservative root canal treatment.
When decay causes a severe a toothache
Tooth decay is common, and is commonly recognized as the cause of dental cavities. However, cavity formation occurs in the milder stages of tooth decay. Because they can often be treated conveniently and effectively with modern tooth-colored fillings, they don’t often have the chance to become more severe. However, if treatment is delayed long enough, or if a tooth becomes fractured, the pulp tissues and nerves can become exposed to bacteria and quickly become infected. Once this occurs, the infected tooth nerves can cause intense pain and discomfort in and around the tooth, including within its root and surrounding jawbone structure.
How to relieve the pain and save the tooth
The reason treating internal tooth decay can be more involved than treating a mild cavity is because the nerves and tissues are located within the tooth’s inner chambers. To alleviate the pain and save the tooth from even further complications, your dentist can recommend removing the infected tissues through conservative root canal treatment. This involves carefully accessing the pulp chamber and root canal of the tooth, then removing the infected tissues and tooth structure from them. Then, a biocompatible material can be used to fill and seal the emptied root canal and pulp chamber, preventing oral bacteria from entering them again.
Protecting your tooth after root canal treatment
In addition to needing more involved root canal treatment, a severe tooth infection also creates several other problems for your tooth and oral health. For example, even after the tooth has been treated to remove the infected tissues, the amount of tooth structure that has decayed can leave the tooth structurally weaker than before. It can grow even weaker after the removal of its pulp and root canal tissues, which is why you may benefit from having a dental crown placed over the tooth following rot canal treatment.
Find relief from severe tooth decay
If you have a severe toothache caused by internal tooth decay, then treating the decay with root canal therapy might be the only way to find lasting relief from it. To learn more, schedule an appointment or initial consultation by calling Advanced Dental Concepts in Auburn Hills, MI, today at (248) 852-1820.
