Has your tooth been hurting lately? In many cases, the discomfort could be the consequence of an infection that, if left alone for too long, could ultimately result in tooth loss. The good news is that the emergency dentist at Greenwood Dental may be able to help you alleviate your pain and protect your smile with a root canal treatment in Sagamore Hills. Be sure to call us immediately if you have any reason to think that you might need a root canal treatment in the near future!
Root canal treatment is recommended when dental pulp (the collection of nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissue at the center of a tooth) becomes infected. Some of the warning signs of a pulp infection include:
Call us immediately if you think your tooth is infected. We will quickly diagnose the problem and determine your best option for treatment.
At the beginning of the procedure, a local anesthetic will be administered. This will help keep your mouth numb during the procedure; as a result, you shouldn’t experience outright pain, although there may be some pressure.
A small opening will be created in your tooth in order to give us access to the pulp chamber. We will carefully take out the infected pulp, then perform a thorough cleaning of the inside of the tooth to ensure that no infectious material remains. After that, we’ll refill the tooth with biocompatible material before resealing it.
Some time after a root canal treatment, a dental crown will typically be placed. The purpose of the crown is to protect the treated tooth from further damage while also strengthening it so that it can be safely used for biting and chewing again.
Thanks to root canal treatment, we can help our patients find lasting relief from their pain by removing the source of their discomfort. On top of that, getting rid of the infected pulp could potentially end up saving the tooth from needing to be extracted, thus allowing you to maintain a complete, natural smile.
Despite what some individuals think, root canal treatment is not painful. In fact, in terms of comfort, many patients say that it’s comparable to having a filling placed. On top of that, the procedure has a high success rate and often allows you to keep the tooth in question for the rest of your life.
Undergoing a root canal is often necessary for protecting the overall health of your smile, so it’s important to take whatever steps you can to ensure that you’re able to fit the procedure into your budget. You can count on our team to be transparent about the expected cost of root canal treatment. On top of that, we can point you toward financial options that can potentially help take the stress out of paying for your care.
Not all root canal treatments come with the exact same price tag. Some of the factors that can have an impact on the cost of the procedure include:
On the surface, a tooth extraction may seem like a more affordable alternative to a root canal treatment. However, this does not account for the cost of getting a dental implant, dental bridge, or partial denture to fill in the gap in your smile. Furthermore, if the tooth isn’t replaced at all, it could lead to a misaligned bite and other oral health issues that can potentially be costly to deal with. Root canal treatment is often the better choice for your wallet since it is a one-time procedure that allows you to keep your natural tooth.
Many dental insurance companies are willing to pay at least part of the cost of a root canal treatment. Coverage is often around 50% to 80% of the overall cost of the procedure; the exact percentage can vary from plan to plan. Remember, before you move forward with any sort of dental treatment, you should review your plan to make sure that you fully understand your benefits and how you can use them to manage the cost of your care.
At our office, we strive to help our patients get the most out of their insurance. To that end, we gladly accept a wide variety of plans, and we’re in-network with various popular providers such as Aetna, United Healthcare, and Careington. Furthermore, we’ll file the necessary claims on your behalf and help you take whatever steps are needed to maximize your benefits.