Signs It Might Be Time for a Root Canal

If you don't brush or floss your teeth very often (or at all) there is a good chance that you have bad dental health. This does not necessarily mean that you need a root canal right away, but the less you take care of your teeth, the more likely you will need to suffer through root canals, cavity fillings, and a variety of other dental procedures.

But what does not brushing your teeth have to do with root canals, you might ask? When you don't brush your teeth, your tooth enamel will inevitably start to decay. This has to do with the different strains of bacteria that live in your mouth.

When you eat or drink something, the oral bacteria will latch onto the food particles stuck to your teeth. As the bacteria break down and consume these food particles, they will produce acid as a waste product. This acid isn't strong enough to cause your mouth any pain, but it is strong enough to break down your tooth enamel.

This says something about the strength of the bacterial acid since tooth enamel is the strongest tissue in the human body. You won't notice the signs of decay right away, but after a while of not brushing or flossing, your teeth will slowly start to weaken. Your enamel will soon become sensitive to hot and cold temperatures, your teeth will become stained, and even the shape of your teeth could start to break down.

This is not to mention that cavities will start to form. When your dental health becomes so precarious, it will be much more likely for an infection to form in your teeth. This is because the sensitive inner tissues of your teeth, known as the pulp, will become exposed.

Dental pulp is rich in blood vessels and nerves. When bacteria have the chance to crawl into this space, there is a good chance for an infection to occur. Once the infection becomes serious enough, a root canal will be necessary. 

If you leave an infected tooth untreated, it could spread to your other teeth. When this happens, you could end up losing many of your teeth. More than that, there is a chance that the infection could spread to the rest of your body. 

This could have very serious, if not fatal, consequences. 

As Many people don't know that bumps on the gums are a clear sign that a root canal may be necessary. When you have a tooth infection, you may not know that you have one at first until the pain starts. However, before you start to experience any pain, you might see strange little pink or even white bumps along your gums or localized to a certain spot on your gums.

These bumps tend to be quite small and almost similar to pimples in their appearance. They may be swollen or tender when you press on them and they tend to be quite hard. If left untreated, these bumps may grow and become a more serious problem. 

These bumps are a sign of irritation or infection in one or more of your teeth. These bumps are called fistula. They can quickly turn into abscesses if you're not careful and can cause even more dental troubles. 

If you see a bump or two on your gums, don't just blow them off as nothing important. Soon after you start seeing the first signs of these bumps, your dental health will likely start to get worse. You may start to experience pain in one or more of your teeth. 

Pain is a much clearer sign of a dental infection. However, once you have already started to experience tooth pain, that is a sign that your tooth problems are already quite bad. As mentioned before, if you don't get this problem treated as soon as possible, the consequences can be quite bad for both your dental and overall health. 

In particular, tooth loss is a big consequence.

Once your tooth becomes infected, there is a chance that the infection could spread to the blood vessels that supply the tooth with oxygen and nutrients. If the infection attacks the blood vessels and prevents the tooth from obtaining nutrients from the blood, the tooth could easily die off as a result. 

While it is possible to keep a dead tooth in your mouth, dead teeth have a tendency to fall out on their own. This is because they no longer have the strength and life supplied to them by their original blood supply. As a result, they will be very weak in their sockets and it will be very easy for them to fall out. 

As mentioned before, if you leave the infection untreated, it could also spread to your nearby teeth and destroy them in the same way. This is not to mention that a spreading infection could be quite painful. Of course, the last thing you want is for a bunch of your teeth to fall out.

So, it's best to look for signs of a tooth infection early on. If you see any dental fistula on your gums, make sure that you go to the dentist right away and get your dental health sorted out. 

To If you have a tooth infection in need of a root canal, you may start to notice a segment of your gums turning a darker shade of red or pink. Many people know that a darkening tooth is a bad sign of a tooth infection, but dark gums are another very bad sign to look out for. If your gums start darkening, this is a sign that the infection is starting to spread to your gums. 

This also means that you may end up losing your tooth if you don't act fast because the infection has already spread so far. Once your gums start to change colour, this means that the infection has affected the blood supply to the gums and your tooth to a serious extent. If you notice that your gums are starting to become even slightly darker than usual and if you have already experienced other signs of a tooth infection, you should go to your dentist right away. 

If you get a root canal as soon as possible, there is a chance that you could save your tooth. A root canal functions to completely remove the infection from the affected tooth. A dentist does this by drilling into the tooth and its roots to remove the decayed enamel.

The dentist does this with a special drill that breaks up the infected tissue. After doing that, the dentist will then rinse out the tooth and fill it with a substance such as composite resin. As long as there is still some blood supplying the tooth, you should not lose it.

On the other hand, if the blood supply is cut off from the tooth, the tooth will die and it may fall out or need to be removed. Besides darkening gums, tender gums are another sign that you need a root canal. 

Tender and swollen gums are a sign of inflammation and infection. This tenderness may start out gradually and then worsen over time. Eventually, the tenderness and swelling will become quite painful and hard to deal with. 

Again, if you experience any of these symptoms, you should go see your dentist right away before the problem gets any worse. 

If you think you need a root canal, you should get one right away. Some of the signs that you need one include bumps on the gums, darkening or tender gums, and poor dental health from not brushing or flossing your teeth. If your tooth becomes infected, the infection could spread to your other teeth and result in tooth loss or a serious infection that could threaten your overall health. 

Fortunately, a simple root canal can prevent a tooth infection from getting any worse. To learn more, contact us here.