A root canal specialist is someone who has lots of training and experience dealing with infected teeth. A tooth can become infected when symptoms of tooth decay have been ignored for extended periods. When you eat, it's normal for food particles to become stuck on your teeth. These particles are broken down by bacteria inside your mouth producing acids that can damage your enamel. The process is known as tooth decay and it's one of the most common dental issues.

Cavities are one of the main symptoms of tooth decay, and, if left unchecked, these can eventually leave the nerve and pulp of a tooth exposed. When this happens, it's only a matter of time before the tooth becomes infected.

When the pulp of a tooth becomes infected, the infection will eventually spread to the root and jaw bone tissue. That's where a root canal specialist comes in. These oral professionals have lots of experience performing root canal procedures – which is one of the primary ways infected teeth are dealt with. Your other option is to have the tooth removed, but that's typically only used as a last resort.

Here are a few things you will learn when you visit a root canal specialist:

1. It's not a painful procedure

The mere mention of root canals is enough to send shivers down most people's spine. The procedure has a rather scary reputation, even though there's no pain associated with it nowadays. You can thank all the improved local anesthetics that are available today. In reality, the scariest part of the procedure is getting the shot of anesthetic if you're scared of needles. It isn't uncommon for dentists to numb the area where the injection will be delivered, so you won't even feel the injection piercing your gums. The only thing you might feel is a mild sting of the anesthetic moving through your tissues.

Sometimes, anesthetics aren't even needed since the nerve of the tooth is usually dead when the procedure is being performed. Anesthetics are used more as a precaution and to keep patients relaxed.

2. It's not as complicated as it seems

Despite its reputation, root canal treatments are straightforward procedures. Your dentist starts by applying an anesthetic, then a hole is drilled into your tooth. A series of files is then used to remove the pulp and nerve, plus clean the tooth. Medication is applied, and the hole is sealed back up. A crown is then fitted to protect the newly-repaired tooth.

3. There's little recovery time

Many patients expect major treatments like root canals to leave you unable to eat and do things like you normally do for a couple of weeks, but that not the case. With a root canal treatment, there's little recovery time. You're free to go about your merry way once it's over. You likely won't even be prescribed any pain medication to take afterward since you shouldn't be in any.

Want to know more about root canals? Contact Amir Sedaghat, DDS PC today!

Request a dental appointment here: https://www.ddsendo.com or call Amir Sedaghat, DDS PC at (516) 482-4777 for an appointment in our Great Neck dental office.