Root Canal Treatment Usage

Dental pulp may become infected because of:

• An untreated cavity
• Trauma to the tooth
• Gum disease

When dental pulp becomes infected or dies, a painful abscess within the jawbone will occur. Removing dead or diseased dental pulp will prevent infection from spreading to other areas of the mouth and destroying bone around the tooth. If a root canal is not done, the tooth will need to be removed.

Common signs of pulp problems include:

• Pain when biting down on a tooth
• Pain when the tooth is not being used
• Sensitivity to hot or cold food or beverages
• Tooth discoloration
• Swollen gums around the infected tooth
• A draining boil-like structure (called a fistula) on the gum adjacent to the tooth