The main purpose of root canal is to remove the decaying or infected part of the tooth and then cleaning and sealing it to prevent any further decay or infection. If this process is delayed, the tooth can not only become more infected but can also result in loss of the entire tooth.
You must undergo a root canal within a few weeks to fully eliminate the infection and save your tooth. In general, a root canal typically takes about two hours to complete, but it can require subsequent visits depending on the severity of the damage.
If you wait to have a root canal, you're only providing that infection more time to gain strength and spread. Infection can spread from the tooth into the bloodstream, and then you have a much more serious issue than a common and routine dental practice.
This means that after having a root canal treatment, it's important for you to wait for at least four weeks before getting a crown. A crown should be placed within a few months of the root canal, but it can take up to a year for your tooth's nerves to heal completely.
In case a person does not treat a dental abscess in its initial stage, then the infection may last anywhere between 5 months to 12 months or even more. Moreover, if no treatment is meted out to the condition, the precious dental pulp will die away and may get another abscess.
If you delay root canal treatment, the oral infection continues to get worse, and it can even lead to a very serious condition called septicemia — when the localized infection from your tooth spreads through your body. This can quickly become a dangerous health situation that you want to avoid at all costs.
In most cases, root canal therapy is a better way to treat an infected tooth than an extraction. However, there are exceptions, such as if the tooth has suffered extreme damage. Your dentist will carefully analyze your oral health before making a treatment recommendation.
There is a statistic that 5% to 7% of teeth that receive crown restorations end up needing root canal treatment. That means that 93% or more don't need root canal. The reason that this happens sometimes is that crowns in most cases are placed on teeth that are filled heavily in the first place.
A tooth can survive for several weeks without a crown. However, this is not advisable as your teeth remain exposed. This could make your teeth sensitive to hot or cold temperatures and cause further damage. If you would not like to use a crown on your tooth, you could use dental veneers as an alternative for crowns.
A Root Canal Counts As An Emergency Dental Treatment
A root canal is typically considered to fall under the umbrella of emergency dentistry. Tooth infections are extremely painful and uncomfortable, and they can cause serious complications if they are left untreated, including the death of the infected tooth.
The average root canal treatment is 30 to 60 minutes long. More complex cases may take around 90 minutes. A root canal typically requires one or two appointments to complete.
Delaying a root canal procedure can cause even more discomfort down the line as the infection is likely to spread. Leaving an infected root canal system untreated can result in an abscessed tooth, the pain of which can be incapacitating—and complications that can be serious, even life-threatening.
The dentist can complete a simple root canal procedure in 30-60 minutes for one canal tooth. But you should expect to spend about 90 minutes or so in the dentist's chair for the treatment. This procedure requires significant time since your nerve needs to be removed, cleaned, and disinfected.
Pain that comes up unexpectedly after successful use for many months may indicate decay that has advanced well after the crown treatment, or it could indicate a problem with the crown. Sometimes a crown does not fit in with your bite properly.
The front teeth are not put under as much pressure as the molars. After a root canal, they can simply be restored with dental filling and left without a crown. However, if the front tooth has been discolored by decay, then a crown should be fitted for cosmetic purposes.
Root canals are considered to be the most painful because they require removing the nerve tissue on a tooth's root. The removal of the nerve tissue is not only excruciatingly painful but also commonly leads to infection.
A root canal treatment has a general reputation for being a costlier and more painful procedure. In comparison, tooth extraction may appear to be the lesser of two evils. However, when given the option, a root canal treatment should always be the preferred choice as it serves to retain the natural tooth in the mouth.
Final Verdict: Save the Tooth if Possible
In addition, healing from an extraction takes longer and is often more painful than healing from a root canal, and pulling the tooth means even more dental procedures and healing time to replace it later. Still, pulling the tooth might be right for some situations.
This kind of mistake by a dentist is not only painful and worrying, but can result in other issues such as the spread of the infection to the surrounding teeth and gums, problems with eating and speaking and possibly even sepsis. This type of issue can sometimes result in tooth loss.
Pain that radiates to your jaw. Foul breath and bitter taste. Increased dental sensitivity. Localized gum tissue swelling.
If you have a fever and swelling in your face and you can't reach your dentist, go to an emergency room. Also go to the emergency room if you have trouble breathing or swallowing. These symptoms may indicate that the infection has spread deeper into your jaw, throat or neck or even to other areas of your body.
A second appointment may sometimes also be needed for the following reasons: An obstruction within the canal that prevents the dentist from reaching the end of the canal. Calcified canals. If the tooth is infected, time may be needed in order to allow infection to completely clear.