How your dentist can save an infected tooth

When a dentist utters those three little words, “root canal treatment”, even the bravest of patients can feel a quiver of anxiety. However, at Danny de Villiers Dentist in Weybridge, we are keen to point out that thanks to advances in modern dental techniques, the procedure is pain-free. It is also essential to saving an infected tooth.
Good dental hygiene and regular visits to the dentist and hygienist are the best way to avoid tooth infection happening in the first place. However, when teeth do get infected, it is important to act quickly.
Infection of the pulp of the tooth (nerves and blood vessels) can spread through the root canal if not treated promptly. This can lead to a lot of pain, a dental abscess, and ultimately to tooth loss. Teeth can become infected through dental decay as well as through accidental injuries – chips and cracks. That’s why it’s important to visit your dentist even for a tiny chip or crack, because this can be enough to let bacteria enter your tooth and cause it to become infected.
If your tooth has suffered a bad break, you should contact our Weybridge dental practice for an emergency dental appointment. When infection causes a lot of pain or a swollen dental abscess, this can necessitate a visit to the emergency dentist, too.
Weybridge root canal treatment
Most courses of root canal treatment require at least two appointments with your Weybridge dentist. It is a skilled, delicate and time-consuming procedure, and whilst it should feel no different to having a normal filling, you are likely to be in the dentist’s chair for longer.
At your first appointment your dentist will use special tools to cleanse the tooth of infection and remove any decayed or damaged areas. A temporary filling will then be placed and your tooth will be left to settle.
When you are called back to our Weybridge clinic for a second appointment, your dentist will first check that all traces of infection have gone before permanently filling your tooth. In many cases after root canal treatment it is necessary to place a crown to give extra strength to the tooth.