Emergency Root Canal

What happens during a root canal?

A root canal involves removing infected pulp from deep within your tooth, replacing it with a biocompatible material, and sealing your tooth. The pulp of your tooth contains lots of nerves and blood vessels that encourage your tooth to grow but aren’t essential to your tooth’s integrity once you’re an adult.

A root canal saves the structure of your tooth and relieves the pain of infection. It saves you from spreading decay and needing a full tooth extraction.

Deep infection can result from decay, multiple dental procedures, or damage, like a chip or crack. 

Why would I need an emergency root canal?

In many cases, your dentist detects the beginnings of decay before serious symptoms occur and can schedule a root canal for a future visit. You may have mild soreness or sensitivity to hot or cold foods and beverages but can tolerate the discomfort until your appointment.

In some cases, however, symptoms of a tooth infection come on suddenly. Symptoms that require emergency intervention include:

• Intolerable pain
• Pus coming from your tooth
• Severe damage to your tooth
• Tooth discoloration

These symptoms indicate that you can’t wait a few days or weeks for a root canal; you need to call Compassionate Endodontics now to schedule an evaluation and treatment.

When will I feel relief from an emergency root canal?

Root canals have a bad reputation as being painful procedures, but they’re actually a way to stop the pain. While extensive dental work may never be fun, it can preserve your dental health and alleviate uncomfortable symptoms.

Right after your root canal, you may have some soreness in the treated area for a few days. The deep cleaning involved in the procedure can irritate surrounding nerves and gum tissue. Control your discomfort with over-the-counter pain relievers and cold compresses. Call the office if your pain persists and doesn’t get better within a few days, as you might have a complication.

Don’t ignore serious tooth pain. It might be a sign that you need an emergency root canal.

Call the friendly staff at the Midtown West office of Compassionate Endodontics New York/NYC to schedule an appointment, or use the online tool to book.