A toothache is never a good thing. Even when it builds and fades, the pain is often on your mind. When will it come back, and more importantly, what does it mean? A toothache is often a sign that you have an infected tooth. Without the right treatment, that toothache can get worse until the tooth itself needs to be removed.

Don’t let it get that bad. Call our Winnipeg, MB dental office today at 204-977-8515 and make your next appointment. Your Winnipeg dentists can determine if your tooth is infected. If so, they can use a root canal procedure to save your tooth. This also ends the toothache that’s been bothering you.

When A Root Canal Is Needed

Unfortunately, everyone has some harmful bacteria in their mouths. Brushing and flossing regularly helps keep them under control because they survive by eating tiny food particles left behind when you eat and drink.

Why are they harmful? Because they produce an acid. When these bacteria are thriving, all that acid burns holes in your enamel called cavities. But since your enamel has no nerve endings, you might not know you have any cavities.

This lets the bacteria keep going until the cavity breaks through to the dental pulp. This is the area inside a tooth where all the blood vessels and nerve endings are found. Once this gets infected, you have a bad toothache. Your enamel also starts to grow brittle as the infection spreads.

That’s when you need a root canal. It can get rid of that infection, end the toothache, and stop your tooth from growing brittle.

Root Canal Myths To Debunk

There are many stubborn myths out there about root canal procedures. Here are some of them and the facts to set the record straight.

MYTH: Root canals are very painful.
FACT: Typically, a root canal is no more painful than getting a filling placed.

This may have been true a long time ago when anesthesia was underdeveloped compared to today. But things have advanced a lot since then. Modern root canals are no more painful than getting tooth decay repaired with a cavity. That’s due to local anesthetic, modern technology, and modern training.

MYTH: Root canals make your tooth weak.
FACT: An infected tooth is weaker before a root canal procedure even begins.

Root canals usually end with a dental crown being put over the tooth. Since dental crowns help strengthen teeth, some people believe a root canal procedure makes your tooth weak. However, that’s not true. The infection is what leads to making your enamel weaker and more brittle. A root canal uses a dental crown because the tooth is already weaker.

MYTH: Root canals lead to an increased risk of cancer and arthritis.
FACT: Root canals remove infections, not cause any.

Long ago, one dentist published his own study saying there was a link between root canal procedures and all kinds of illnesses, including cancer and arthritis. Since then, that study has been debunked and proven wrong. In fact, root canals make you healthier because they can remove infections in a tooth before it can spread.

How Root Canal Procedures Usually Look

Although everyone’s root canal can be slightly different, here’s how a typical root canal procedure from our Winnipeg dentists will look like.

  • Digital X-rays are taken to locate the infection inside your tooth.
  • The tooth and surrounding area are numbed using a local anesthetic, then thoroughly cleaned.
  • Our Winnipeg dentist makes a small opening in your tooth so they can reach the infection in your dental pulp.
  • Using special tools, they carefully remove the infected dental pulp. This gets rid of the infection.
  • If there is enough space left behind, an inert material is used to fill up the extra space.
  • You get a beautiful dental crown placed over that tooth.

Call Lakewood Dental Centre today at 204-977-8515 or use our online form to schedule your next appointment for a dental exam. If our Winnipeg dentists find anything with the exam, you can get a root canal to get rid of tooth pain and save your smile.