Anatomy of a Toothache

The pain associated with a toothache is usually intense. This is why most patients are desperate for relief when a toothache strikes — even to the point of asking for extraction to relieve the pain. Luckily, if your root canal dentist in Thornton, CO, sees you in time, they may be able to ease your discomfort without sacrificing the tooth that’s causing it. Many factors work together to cause a tooth to decay. If you better understand how a toothache occurs, you may better understand how a root canal resolves the issue.

Anatomy of a Toothache

Your teeth have more parts than most people realize, much more than just a root and a crown, including:

• Periodontal Ligament — connects the tooth to the tooth socket
• Cementum — protective, bone-like layer that covers the root
• Blood Vessels and Nerves — run through the pulp cavity and the root canal
• Root Canal — runs from the pulp chamber down through the root and into the jawbone
• Enamel — covers the crown of the tooth
• Dentin — hard tissue beneath the enamel
• Pulp Chamber — located inside the crown of the tooth

When you have a cavity that’s left untreated, the decay eats through the enamel and the dentin into the pulp. This is when it may become painful, because the pulp chamber is filled with nerves. Infection may continue down the root canal and cause infection, or abscess, in the gums. The result is a toothache of epic proportions that may send you in a panic to your local dentist.

How Root Canal Therapy Can Help

Root canal therapy requires making an opening in your infected tooth, exposing the pulp and the root canal. These areas are then cleaned and flushed of infection. Your dentist then refills the root canal and the pulp with a permanent material that replaces the nerves and blood vessels. They then fill the opening and cap the tooth. Sometimes, they place a support within the root canal to help support the root. As a result, the tooth is saved, and your pain is alleviated. This makes treatment by root canal a great solution for the pain of an infected tooth.

For more information on root canal therapy in Thornton, CO, call Colorado Root Canal Specialist to schedule a consultation.