Could Root Canal Treatment Cure Your Severe Toothache?

You may know several different ways to relieve a minor toothache with at-home remedies, but most of them have one thing in common – they don’t address the root cause of your tooth’s pain. Therefore, most toothaches require a professional diagnosis and treatment to fully alleviate them and stop them from coming back. In severe cases, tooth pain may be the result of an infection in your tooth, known as tooth decay, that systematically erodes the healthy structure of the tooth. If your toothache and decay are severe enough, then root canal treatment may be the only effective way to address them.

Toothaches and tooth decay

Tooth decay is a common cause of tooth pain and sensitivity. In fact, it’s also the most frequent chronic oral health concern for patients of all ages. However, it isn’t always severe enough to require root canal treatment. Tooth decay is progressive, and its severity is usually minor at first. This means the infection in your tooth has only impacted a small portion of its main structure, and in many cases, it can be resolved with a more conservative tooth-colored filling procedure. This is often due to the discomfort caused by the erosion of your tooth structure, which begins with the weakening of the tooth enamel that protects your teeth.

When your tooth is severely decayed

The intensity of the discomfort in your tooth can often be an indication of how severe your tooth decay is. For instance, minor tooth decay may cause your tooth to become slightly sensitive, and that sensitivity can grow more intense as the decay progresses. However, in cases of severe tooth decay, harmful bacteria are able to reach the nerves and blood vessels of the tooth, which are housed within the tooth’s pulp and root canal chamber. The direct infection of your tooth’s nerves and tissues can cause your toothache to become significantly more intense.

Alleviating the problem with root canal treatment

When you have a severe toothache that keeps coming back, or doesn’t go away, then internal tooth infection may be a factor. When you schedule a dental visit, we’ll carefully examine the tooth using enhanced digital imaging technology to determine if it has become internally infected. If so, then we may perform root canal treatment to remove the infected nerves, tissues, and tooth structure from within the tooth’s inner chambers, then seal them to protect them from any further harm.

Learn if root canal treatment can cure your toothache

If your tooth is in pain because of a severe, internal tooth infection, then root canal therapy may be the best way to address the problem and alleviate the discomfort. To learn more, call our Cleveland Family Dentistry office in Cleveland, TX, today at (281) 592-1234. We also serve the residents of Kingwood, Conroe, Livingston, and all surrounding communities.