According to the American Association of Endodontists, more than 15 million root canals are performed each year, which breaks down to 41,000 each day. Although we prefer to target cavities before they need a root canal, this procedure is sometimes needed to protect the health and vitality of the rest of the tooth. Untreated teeth that need root canals can lead to infections that go to your bloodstream, causing sickness. Plus, you could lose the entire tooth. At Mountain Aire Dentistry, we are highly trained to perform root canals to clean out the infected pulp and save your tooth. Keeping your oral health in exceptionally good shape is our top priority. We can save your tooth and prevent it from dying through a root canal. Learn more about this procedure and why it is sometimes necessary to preserve good oral health.  

Root Canals

A root canal is needed when an untreated cavity makes it all the way to the pulp of the tooth, where serious damage could be done. The cavity will cause an infection in the pulp, which could result in an abscess that is unable to heal without treatment. Many times, patients will feel pain, swelling, hot/cold sensitivity, and a bad taste in the mouth and other times, they may not know they need a root canal until their annual dental checkup. Root canals must also be performed if there are cracks, major chips in the teeth, abscesses, infections and tooth injuries. A root canal will be performed when a tooth has reached serious stages of tooth decay past a normal cavity that can be filled.

Why Root Canals Are Sometimes Necessary

The health of the pulp of your tooth is what is in jeopardy when it comes to a root canal.  We mentioned a little bit about the pulp above. Root canal therapy (also known as endodontic therapy) is made necessary when an untreated cavity reaches the pulp of the teeth because of the damaging effects it can have.  If the tooth pulp becomes infected, that infection will continue to spread and break down the surrounding bone and tooth. Sometimes an infection can lead all the way to the bloodstream, which can cause serious sickness. We work to help prevent the loss of your tooth and to protect the bones of your teeth and jaws.  A root canal is the best action we can take in order to preserve your tooth and keep you from losing it.

Root canals are most commonly needed if a tooth has undergone several procedures (cavities, fillings, crowns, etc.) and the structure of the tooth is very weak. Deep cavities and tooth breaks, major cracks and chips can also lead to a root canal because of the sensitive exposed pulp and nerves of the tooth. Like we said, some people may not even know that they need a root canal until they come into our office, as we can see internal tooth injuries and infections with our equipment that are not apparent on the surface.

Why You Want One

When you need a root canal, the symptoms themselves may make you actually want one. Root canals commonly have associated sharp, constant pain that just won’t go away. You will have tooth sensitivities when chewing or closing the teeth, throbbing or burning pain and temperature sensitivity. You might also physically see a problem in your mouth if your gums are swollen and are tender. When a root canal is needed—especially when an infection or abscess is present—the pain will be enough to get you to our office quickly. You can also experience bone loss, darkening of the tooth or drainage from the infection. Never ignore tooth pain or abnormal problems you find with your mouth. This could be the sign of infection or a damaging oral-health problem.

Endodontists

At Mountain Aire Dentistry, we perform endodontics—or root canals—but not all dentists do these or do them often. Being skilled in endodontics means that we have extra years of real-world experience and practice in root canals so that each patient receives correct treatment for their tooth. A root canal is a more traumatic procedure for a tooth, but not as bad as tooth loss.  Dr. Bockrath is highly skilled to provide endodontic treatment and a variety of other dental services for your specific needs.

How We Do It

With a root canal, we need to clean out the infected pulp of the tooth and disinfect the canals so that the infection doesn’t continue to spread and break down more tooth and bone.  The procedure is called a root “canal” because we clean the canals of each tooth that houses nerve tissue and dental pulp. These delicate parts of the tooth contain blood vessels that nourish the tooth and perceive pain or sensitivity. When those vessels are damaged, your tooth will eventually die, and we don’t want that. Cleaning those canals and then filling the tooth is the best way to prevent further infection. This will also help you avoid tooth loss. We end our treatment with crowning your tooth, as the structure of your natural tooth is relatively fragile after the procedure and needs to be protected.

We provide state-of-the-art endodontic treatment to our Colorado patients, so you can know you are in the best possible hands when it comes to your teeth. Root canal treatments are longer than your typical cavity filling or dental exam, but it is well worth your time to keep all your pearly whites! We want all of our patients to have a brilliant, healthy smile. To learn more about the services we offer or to make an appointment, call our Mountain Aire Dentistry office at (303) 731-7755 today!