Pros & Cons of Root Canals
A root canal is a dental procedure that removes dying or dead nerve tissue engulfed inside the tooth and causing severe pain. During the procedure, the pulp material inside the tooth is removed and replaced with a latex material. Root canals are successful when pain no longer persists.
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Purpose
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Root canals are conducted to relieve tooth-related pain and to prevent or eliminate tooth decay from the inside. The replacement of natural tooth pulp with fabricated, latex pulp allows dental patients to retain their own teeth.
Advantages
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Although the after effects of root canals create excessive tooth and gum pain, the process itself is not painful. Treatment of the nerve with a root canal also prevents the infection inside the tooth from worsening and causing more pain.
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Disadvantages
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In some cases, infected tissue that is not removed causes gum infections. This occurs when the infected tissue is pushed through the tooth's root and into the gums during the injection of the latex pulp.
Treatment
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In rare cases where infection results from a root canal procedure, treatment is available. The treatment comes easily, but pain will persist during the treatment time, until the infection has cleared from the gums. The most common treatment for infections following root canals is oral antibiotics.
Complications
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Irregularly shaped teeth and roots make root canal procedures more difficult to perform. When the latex is injected into irregularly shaped teeth and roots, a possible side effect is an infection so severe that another root canal procedure is required as a follow-up.
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