Root Canal Specialist
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We Care 4U Dental Center
Raquel J. Pagan, DDS
Family & General Dentist located in Silver Spring, MD
Root canals are common dental procedures that tend to sound scarier than they are. At We Care 4U Dental Center in Silver Spring, Maryland, Raquel Pagan, DDS, offers painless root canals that preserve your tooth’s health and structure. To learn more about root canals and see if you need one, call the office or book your visit online today.
Root Canal Q &A
What is a root canal?
A root canal is a procedure that Dr. Pagan performs to remove the soft inner pulp from your tooth. The pulp is comprised of tissues and nerves that help each tooth grow into a healthy adult tooth.
Removing this pulp because of disease or decay won’t cost you your tooth if it has already finished growing. Dr. Pagan fills the empty space or otherwise reinforces your tooth’s structure after removing the inside.
A root canal can relieve pain and keep you from losing your tooth altogether.
Why do I need a root canal?
There are several reasons why Dr. Pagan might recommend a root canal to treat a problematic tooth. You likely need to get a root canal if:
- You have tooth decay from an old cavity
- Your tooth is severely chipped or cracked
- You’ve had multiple procedures on the same tooth
- The pulp in your tooth was damaged from impact (even if the tooth didn’t crack or break)
If you feel pain, swelling, or a mysterious heating sensation in or around one of your teeth, the pulp within it might be damaged and will require a root canal to fix it. To decide whether or not a root canal would solve the problem, Dr. Pagan takes an X-ray of your tooth to see the inside.
What can I expect during a root canal procedure?
Root canal procedures can take two office visits to complete. During your appointment, Dr. Pagan injects local anesthesia to numb your tooth and the surrounding area and cleans it to prepare to remove the pulp.
Next, Dr. Pagan uses a tiny drill to create a hole in the tooth and uses specialized tools to clean away all diseased or damaged pulp from within. Then, she uses an antimicrobial wash to clean the inside and kill off any remaining bacteria.
Once the inside of your tooth is clean, Dr. Pagan fills the inside space with a rubber-like filling material to strengthen it.
A couple of weeks or so later, you’ll return to the office to have your remaining tooth built up and prepared to receive a customized crown, which is placed over your tooth to protect it from further vulnerability and damage, if necessary.
Rather than enduring the pain of an infected tooth, explore the option of a root canal. To find out if you need one, call We Care 4U Dental Center or book your consultation online today.