If you believe your tooth is infected, you may be shying away from the dentist because you predict a root canal treatment is necessary. However, there is nothing to fear about root canal treatment. In fact, it is designed to remove the infection that causes pain and discomfort. If you are still worried about getting root canal therapy, check out these three facts.

It Prevents the Need for Extraction

If you have an infected tooth, there limited options. You can either have the tooth extracted or undergo root canal treatment, which saves the tooth. During root canal treatment, the entire pulp of the tooth is removed. The pulp contains all the blood vessels and nerves of the tooth. At the end of the treatment, the tooth is dead essentially dead and hollow, but it still functions like a normal tooth.

If you choose to have the tooth extracted, you'll need to pay more money for a dental bridge or dental implant, unless you don't mind having a missing tooth. However, missing teeth don't just affect your smile. Missing teeth can affect the shape of your jawbone because there is no tooth to stimulate it.

You May Experience Mild Discomfort

Sometimes, a tooth infection presents with severe pain, but in other cases, there is little to no pain. If you are experiencing pain, that is good news. Root canal treatment will help alleviate that pain by removing the infection and pressure. However, after treatment, you may still be tender even if you experienced no pain before the root canal treatment. During root canal treatment, the dentist must get all the way to the end of the root to remove all the pulp and infection. So during treatment, you may need additional Novocain as the dentist reaches the depths of your tooth roots.

A Dental Crown Is Also Needed

Unfortunately, you typically need a dental crown after a root canal treatment to strengthen and protect the tooth. This increases the cost of the procedure, but without it, your tooth is likely to shatter under the pressure of daily chewing because it has such a large filling (in the pulp and roots) to protect from future infection. If your tooth does shatter because a crown was not placed, the tooth will likely need to be extracted unless enough tooth tissue is left to rebuild. Even then, it may not last long.

If you have a tooth infection, don't ignore it. Although rare, an infection can spread to other parts of your body. Root canal therapy saves the tooth and stops the pain. If you would lie more information, contact a dentistry clinic in your area, like Centre Family Dentistry, today.