Root Canal Treatment in Columbus, OH

When discussing dental treatments, patients often react to the term "root canal" with anxiety and fear.

At Shiflett Family Dental, we understand root canals have a bad reputation and are here to help you. Dr. Shiflett and the entire team are experienced in providing comfortable root canal therapy in Columbus, OH, and will talk you through each step as it occurs.

People think of root canals so negatively because of the infected pulp in their tooth, which is typically painful, and the failure of older numbing agents than anything else.

In the past, numbing agents took a long time to take effect and wore off quickly. This issue is heightened with an infected tooth or dental abscess requiring a root canal, as the infection can create a barrier against the numbing agent.

Fortunately, modern anesthetics, though, work quickly and last throughout the procedure. You may feel work being done inside your mouth, but you'll not feel pain.

Dr. Shiflett, your Columbus, OH dentist, is devoted to ensuring you are comfortable and at ease from start to finish.

Root canal therapy is one possible treatment when a tooth becomes infected. A tooth becomes infected when bacteria (often from a large cavity) reach the tooth's center, where the nerve is located. The nerve within the tooth then dies, leading to the need for a root canal. Teeth can also become infected due to recent or past trauma, such as the impact of a fall.

Once the nerve has died and a tooth has become infected, the other option is to remove the tooth (called an extraction). This can be a better option in some circumstances--when the tooth is too damaged to save--but keeping your tooth is often the way to go. Unfortunately, we can offer no better replacement than your natural tooth, so it is best to hold onto it in most cases.

What Are the Signs of an Infected or Abscessed Tooth?

Specific signs and symptoms indicate that your tooth is infected or that you have an abscess. One common sign is a blister or bubble on your gum next to the tooth, often called an abscess or fistula. Other signs and symptoms include:

• Hot or cold sensitivity in your tooth
• Pain when biting
• Swelling of your gums or face
• Spontaneous tooth pain
• A bad taste in your mouth as the infection worsens

If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms, please call our Columbus, OH, office at (614) 262-1807. Dr. Shiflett and the team do their best to fit in emergencies and care for them on the same day, if possible.

Will Antibiotics Eliminate My Tooth Infection?

Unfortunately, antibiotics may not eliminate the infection from an abscessed tooth. When the nerve inside a tooth dies and becomes infected, the blood supply to the tooth is compromised. When you take an antibiotic, it circulates in your bloodstream to access the area of infection. With the compromised blood supply, the antibiotic may be unable to get into your tooth's dental pulp, which is the source of the infection.

An antibiotic can be a valuable tool to help stop the infection from spreading further into your face and neck, but if the source of the infection is not removed by either a root canal or tooth extraction in Columbus.

In most cases, you'll need a cap to cover the compromised tooth after root canal treatment. When we perform a root canal, we remove the tooth's center containing the nerve.

This area is cleaned, shaped, and sealed to prevent bacteria from returning. As you can imagine, a tooth with its center removed is more brittle and prone to breakage. To help mitigate this risk, we place a dental crown. 

Often, Dr. Shiflett can begin your dental crown appointment at the same time as your root canal. This saves you an additional visit to our dental office and helps you get back to your busy schedule.

In a small number of cases, a root canal-treated tooth will be strong enough without a crown. We will let you know if your tooth is one of these exceptions and save you a little time and money!

Contact Your Emergency Dentist in Columbus, OH

We recommend calling our dental office at the first signs of trouble; a minor toothache can escalate quickly, causing excruciating pain with swelling. It is always better to start treatment before the infection spreads and causes discomfort or serious risk to your oral health.

Suppose you have a toothache, swelling, gum blister, or other oral health changes since your last visit that are not improving. In that case, we encourage you to contact a compassionate team member as soon as possible for an appointment with your Columbus, OH, dentist. Our compassionate dental team aims to ease discomfort and restore oral health quickly.