Root Canal Therapy – McMinnville, OR

Do I Need Root Canal Therapy?

Not every toothache needs to be treated with root canal therapy. This tooth-saving service is usually reserved for teeth that are so damaged, decayed, or infected that they can’t be treated with other means, such as a filling or dental crown. The most common signs that you may need root canal therapy are:

• Severe toothache or dental pain that’s lasted more than a day
• Tooth sensitivity to hot or cold temperatures
• Pain in one or two teeth when you bite down
• Swollen, red, or tender gum tissue
• A pimple-like bump on the gums near the painful tooth.

If you notice any of these symptoms, give us a call immediately. We’ll work quickly to schedule you a same-day emergency appointment so you can get the pain relief you need right away.

The Root Canal Process

Root canal therapy is designed to alleviate discomfort and save as much healthy tooth structure as possible. The first thing we’ll do when you visit us for a root canal is make sure you feel comfortable and relaxed. We’ll use local anesthetic to ensure your mouth is completely numb. We also offer a wide variety of sedation options to help our patients feel completely at-ease. Once you’re settled into the examination chair and your McMinnville dentist Dr. Ramsay has thoroughly examined your mouth, she’ll begin treatment.

Dr. Ramsay will make a small hole in your enamel and remove all the infected or damaged tissues from inside your tooth. Then, she’ll clean and sanitize the tooth to make sure it is completely free of any bacteria before filling it with a biocompatible material. Once the tooth has been filled, she’ll eventually top it with a brand-new crown to restore its appearance and function. Between her skilled hands and the local anesthetic, our patients say that getting a root canal feels similar to having a filling placed, as in not painful in the slightest!

The Benefits of Getting a Root Canal

Root canal therapy is a safe, trusted procedure that can prevent serious oral health problems in the future. Some of the most important benefits of root canal therapy are:

• Tooth preservation: Repairing a tooth instead of extracting it saves you the time, money, and myriad of complications that come with having a missing tooth.
• Stop bacteria & pain in their tracks: Root canal therapy effectively cleans out all the harmful particles causing you pain so you can get back to enjoying your happy, healthy smile right away.
• Virtually painless treatment: Despite its bad reputation, root canal therapy is virtually pain-free. In fact, it’s about as comfortable as getting a standard filling, and requires far less uncomfortable healing time than a tooth extraction.