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Alternative to Root Canals Treatment

Sometimes severe tooth damage or an untreated cavity can lead to the pulp being infected with bacteria. The pulp is the soft tissue found in the root canal, and if it gets infected or inflamed a root canal procedure must be carried out.

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Root Canal Alternative Treatments

Sometimes severe tooth damage or an untreated cavity can lead to the pulp being infected with bacteria. The pulp is the soft tissues found in the root canal, and if it gets infected or inflamed a root canal procedure must be carried out. If the treatment of root canal is not for you, then you may end up losing your tooth.

What is a root canal? It is a natural chamber found inside the tooth, which acts as the house for tooth pulp. The dental pulp contains the connective tissue, nerves, blood vessels, and lymph vessels. The work of pulp is to nourish the tooth and transmit sensitivity and pain signals to the brain.

There a number of reasons that the root canal treatment may be necessary such as;

  • The dental pulp has been exposed by dental carries
  • Dental pulp or nerve infection
  • Tooth irritating due to previous restoration procedures like deep dental fillings.
  • Traumatic tooth fractures will leads to failure in root canal.

Nevertheless, there are alternatives to root canal treatment. The alternatives may not bring similar benefits to root canal treatment, especially if the alternative method is tooth extraction. Saving your natural tooth comes with numerous advantages. Apart from tooth extraction there other alternatives to prevent root canal treatment and cavities such as natural remedies, fillings, and dental medicines prior to the necessity of the root canal treatment.

Table of contents

Alternatives to Root Canal Treatment
What are possible alternatives to Root Canal or how to prevent one?
Who is more susceptible to needing alternatives to a root canal?
How do you treat a patient using alternatives or help prevent a root canal?
What are the symptoms of someone who needs a root canal?

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What are possible alternatives to Root Canals or how to prevent one?

The untreated cavity or severe tooth injury may expose the dental pulp to infections or bacteria, which may lead to the tissues being damaged as a result one may lose the tooth due to lack of the necessary strength and support. In order to save the tooth, one may have to go for a root canal treatment. One can discuss with the dental professional if there are any other possible options to treat the tooth or you can have a second opinion about the dental treatment plan at any time. However, if the tooth can’t be saved, the only alternative you can go for is tooth extraction.

Even though the above alternatives seem promising, none of them is more effective than the process of root canal. Not only does the root canal allows the patients to keep their natural teeth, but it also restores the tooth functions such as speaking, eating, and smiling.

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Who is more susceptible to needing an Alternative to Root Canal?

If you don’t care for your teeth properly, you might end up losing them. You need to brush and floss your teeth regularly to avoid cases of tooth decay or cavities. Also, avoid tooth injuries and be safe. You can do this by wearing a mouth guard if you have a habit of grinding your teeth or you play contact sports. In addition, avoid using your teeth as tools or biting non-food objects. Otherwise, you will be more susceptible to needing root canal treatment and other alternative treatments. If you treat cavities on time, root canal treatment might work for you, but if left untreated you may end up having to extract the tooth.

How to avoid Root Canal?

In other words, you can avoid root canal treatment and other alternatives by avoiding foods rich in sugars, practicing good oral hygiene, going for regular dental check-ups, and avoiding drinks and foods rich in acids and starch.

Who is more susceptible to needing alternatives to a root canal 1

How do you treat a patient using an Alternative or help Prevent a Root Canal?

Tooth extraction

Sometimes the tooth might be severely damaged that it can’t be saved. When a tooth can’t be restored due to intensive tooth decay or severe damage, tooth extraction may be the only solution. Sometimes root canal treatment may not work on an infected tooth, and the tooth will have to be removed. It is not usual for a dentist to recommend tooth extraction unless the situation calls for it. In fact, tooth extraction is recommended as the final alternative, when all hope is gone.

There are two methods of extracting the tooth; simple extraction and surgical extraction. With simple extraction, the dentist near me will numb the tooth, loosen it and pull it out, but for surgical extraction, the dentist will have to;

  • Numb the tooth
  • carry out incision and flap elevation
  • Release periodontal ligament fibers
  • Place a safety net
  • Section the tooth
  • Loosen and elevate the tooth
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Natural Remedies by Dentist Near me

You can go natural and prevent root canal treatment. If your tooth does not hurt, then you have time to look for natural ways to treat it instead of going for a root canal treatment. Most people think that the only alternative to root canal treatment is tooth extraction and that is true. Sometimes all you need is safer diet to heal possible infections. In this case, you have to be disciplined enough to follow a strict diet. A good diet is a highly recommended form of natural healing. However, you should know that not all tooth infections can be healed with a good diet. Visit your Best Houston dentist near me to determine whether natural remedies can work for you. Natural remedies include;

  • Eliminate sugary food intake both processed and natural
  • Drink milk from pasture-raised animals/ certified raw milk
  • Eat high-quality protein such as raw fish
  • Eat raw butter, plenty of it
  • Avoid carbs, especially grains and flour products
Alternatives to root canal treatment

Calcium Hydroxide

Sometimes dental medicines are placed prior to fillings to help aid in tooth healing that may need a root canal. In these cases sometimes calcium hydroxide is placed. Calcium hydroxide discourages the growth of bacteria. As an alkaline substance, calcium hydroxide also dissolves dead tissues. Best Dentist has medications that they use to help fight deep cavities and dental sensitivity. Healing time is necessary too after placement of the medication in order for the tooth to naturally heal and let the medicine take its course.

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What are the Symptoms of Someone Who Needs a Root canal?

Watch out for symptoms such as:

  • Infected pulp or nerve
  • Severely damaged tooth
  • Severe tooth decay
  • Irritating tooth
  • Traumatic tooth fractures
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Alternatives to Root Canal Treatment FAQs

 

 

Why is a root canal necessary?
If there is a chance of an infection in the tooth, you might encounter extreme toothache or sensitivity and pressure from biting. This might have happened from bacteria entering the tooth due to a cavity or break in the tooth, thus infecting the pulp. There are three potential approaches to treat this that is by the utilization of anti-toxins, extraction or a root canal. On the off chance that the anti-infection agents aren’t successful, at that point you may need to get the tooth extracted. In any case, if you need to spare the tooth that is when root canal treatment is essential. This treatment helps in expelling the bacteria from the tooth by removing the living tissue inside the tooth. This makes the tooth dead with the goal that no future diseases or pain happens. The tooth is then sealed by covering the opening with a crown on top.
How to treat a root canal fistula?
A fistula is a path that acts as a drainage canal to drain the infection from a tooth abscess. This can be brought about by injury or damage to the mouth, development of bacteria from the leftover food on the teeth, or be the aftereffect of medical treatment or from the extraction of the molars. Usually, a failed root canal treatment may make a canal to drain the pus. A fistula is not able to heal by itself. So the dentist might recommend a root canal treatment to get rid of the bacteria building up in the roots. This is the only way to save the tooth by cleaning it and sealing it with a crown. If it forms post-treatment, then that means the infection was not eliminated so a possible root canal retreatment, surgery or antibiotics are needed depending on the health of the patient.
How successful are Root Canals Treatment?
Root canals are often 95% successful if they are performed by experienced endodontist’s. This treatment is considered in cases in which the person is experiencing severe pain while eating, extreme sensitivity to hot or cold, if there are bumps at either side of the tooth, inflamed gums and swelling, badly damaged tooth due to decay or an infection in the cavity. If this treatment is not done correctly there is a chance of reinfection or toothache, the dentist can miss out an extra root or hidden canal. So it is recommended that you get an experienced dentist to do the root canal treatment. But if done correctly it will permanently prevent the infection from spreading further, relieving the patient from the severe toothache, the tooth will be saved as no extraction would be needed, and the cavity will also be sealed. So the success rate of the root canal treatment depends on the experience of the one doing it.
Does root canal treatment need to be done at a certain age?
Not necessarily, people of various age groups can get root canal treatments done. This usually depends on the condition of your tooth such as how much tooth structure has been decayed and what type of dental work would be needed on that particular tooth. Usually, the people who get root canals are above 40 due to big amount of dental work done on the tooth, but it depends on whether the tooth decay is deep till the pulp of the tooth. This increases the chance of bacteria entering the tooth and infecting the living tissue. In this situation, a root canal treatment is necessary to save the tooth from being extracted and preventing pain from the tooth abscess. So again it doesn’t matter what the age of the patient to get a root canal is, it depends on whether it is necessary or not.
What is a root canal?
Root canals are a very common dental procedure that is done when the decay inside a tooth has become really severe. The process involves a dentist applying localized anesthesia and then drilling through the pulp of the tooth. This completely finishes any nerve endings inside and creates an inert environment. This is then further cleaned entirely using water. Once it is dried, a filling is poured inside the newly formed cavity, usually of ceramic material. The process is finished by applying a dental crown to fix the tooth in position.
What are the stages of root canal treatment?
Root canal treatment is usually done within 2 to 3 appointments with the dentist. The first phase involves drilling through the pulp of the tooth to remove all decay and bacteria out. This will also create a new cavity in the tooth afterward. All of this is done in the presence of localized anesthesia, so the patient doesn’t feel a thing. Next comes cleaning and washing of this newly created hole. Once that is done, it is filled with dental fillings and finished off by applying a crown.
How painful is a root canal?
With the technology in today’s day and age regarding localized anesthesia, a root canal is not painful at all. All you will be feeling will be a pinch when the anesthesia syringe is used by the dentist. Apart from that, the whole procedure is performed in an environment where your teeth and mouth do not feel a thing and are completely numb.
Is a cap always put on after a root canal?
It is not necessary to always put on a cap or dental crown after a root canal. However, it is a common procedure. Caps are needed in certain cases when the tooth is too weak to stand on its own post root canal treatment. The tooth may be broken and may need support from the sides as well.
Can I opt out of a crown after a root canal?
Yes, you may, but it is always wise to follow your dentist’s advice as to whether you need a dental crown after a root canal procedure or not. Opting out when you actually need it can result in dire consequences, which may include rendering the root canal process useless because bacteria is now attacking the same tooth again.
Alternatives to Root Canal Treatment ultima modifica: 2021-09-19T08:10:50-06:00 da Houston Dentist
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