If you are experiencing facial pain, pain around your ear, or even swelling in your jaw area, Dr. Sprout would like to see you for an exam.  Sometimes tiny canals within your tooth become infected.  This can be triggered by a variety of causes but most often an untreated cavity is the culprit.  The infection usually causes the pulp inside your tooth to also become infected.  When an infected tooth is diagnosed or there's damage to the pulp, he will recommend a root canal to remove the infection.

You may be offered mild sedation for the procedure and Dr. Sprout will numb the affected tooth.  During the procedure he will remove all of the diseased pulp, and thoroughly clean the canal with antiseptic solution.  The canals are then filled with a flexible plastic material and a temporary filling is placed over the tooth. If there are no signs of infection over the next few weeks, a permanent filling or a crown will be placed on the tooth. Crowns are the common choice, especially in the posterior area, as the root canal weakens the tooth.Recovery time from a root canal is usually two to five days of soreness depending on the severity of the infection.

Root canal techniques have improved over the past several years, so it is no longer the bad experience many people have heard about. Please give us a call if you have any questions or concerns.