If you have recently been informed that you have an infection in one of your teeth, then your dentist will most likely suggest a root canal as soon as possible. Unfortunately, you may try to avoid a treatment that is feared by many, and this is a mistake that you should do your best not to make. There are quite a few reasons why you should go through with the root canal as soon as you can, so keep reading to learn about a few of them.
Antibiotics Cannot Be Taken Forever
As soon as your physician discovers an infection within your tooth, you will be provided with antibiotic treatment. And, the antibiotics can help to keep the infection controlled until the tooth can be cleaned out. Essentially, the medication keeps the bacteria from spreading farther than your tooth to the surrounding gums, bone, and other dental structures.
Antibiotics do not only kill the bacteria in your tooth though. They also destroy the non-harmful bacterial living on your skin and also the beneficial microorganisms within your intestinal tract. And, when these microbes are killed, you can experience diarrhea, nausea, and dry skin. You will also be more likely to develop infections due to the existence and growth of the more hearty bacteria that have not been killed by the antibiotics.
To reduce some of the negatives of taking antibiotics, physicians will only prescribe them for a short period of time. The longer you take them, the worse the negative effects. You can only stop taking the antibiotics once the infection is controlled though and this means the removal of the destroyed tissues through a root canal.
You Want To Manage Your Pain
Many people think that root canals are painful, but they are rarely more bothersome than a simple filling procedure. In fact, you may only feel a bit of pressure, but you should be prepared for the procedure to take a bit longer than what you are used to. For example, a root canal is likely to last about an hour and a half or a bit longer.
The pain you are feeling with an infected tooth is actually due to the infection and not the treatment used to get rid of the infection. This means that root canal therapy is something that is going to treat or minimize your pain so you can get back to your normal routine.
If you are putting off your root canal, pain will get worse over time especially once the bacteria reach the dental root and the nerve. Many infections can even linger for months before the nerve is killed and this means dealing with pain for this long. The only way to limit the discomfort is through the completion of the root canal. To learn more, contact dentists who offer root canal services.
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