Although it sounds scary, a root canal is a common dental treatment and can save a tooth from needing to be extracted from your mouth.
Root canal treatment is normally required when the nerve inside of your tooth dies as a result of a bacterial infection. This bacterial infection and the nerve death inside your tooth will usually occur due to significant decay within the tooth. But, nerve death can also occur due to trauma to the tooth from an accident.
When a root canal treatment is needed, you will initially notice symptoms of a pretty painful toothache. This can include pain when eating or drinking hot or cold food. Sometimes the tooth might also be loose. Unfortunately, the bacterial infection won’t be able to heal on its own, and once it begins you will need dental assistance to help it get any better.
As bacterial infections worsen, some of your symptoms may alleviate. This happens because the nerve inside the tooth dies, meaning you can’t feel it as much. Although it may feel like your tooth has healed, the infection hasn’t gone away and is only getting worse. That’s why it's important to get any toothache checked by your dentist.
