“Why does a tooth need a root canal?”
I am a 38 year old male. My dentist told me I need a root canal. Why does a tooth need a root canal?
5 Answers
Usually if the nerve in the tooth is dying or the tooth is fractured.
Hello,
Good for you for wanting to understand why a procedure is needed! There are indeed a few reasons why a tooth needs a root canal. First, let's start with the one that may not be so obvious, but makes sense when thought about. A tooth that has chronic (long lasting) severe pain. The nerve that sends pain signal back to the brain is located on the inside of the tooth and is protected by the tooth. If there is something that has compromised this protection the nerve inside the tooth is exposed. Most commonly, this is usually a cavity that has gotten to that nerve. At this point, the tooth usually needs a root canal for two reasons; 1) the nerve is damaged and needs to be removed (root canal), 2) putting a filling in that tooth will cause the the nerve more damage which means a root canal. Secondly, sometimes a tooth can require a root canal in order to make it a functional tooth. This means that if your tooth has been worn down from grinding, fillings coming out, or the tooth breaking there is not enough tooth left to build up. In this case, in order to build up the tooth a post is put into the tooth to hold the build up in. In order to put a post in the middle of the tooth (where the nerve is) the nerve needs to be removed, which means a root canal needs to be performed. This is referred to as a root canal for restorative purposes.
Hope this helps.
My best to you!
William F. Scott IV, DMD
Good for you for wanting to understand why a procedure is needed! There are indeed a few reasons why a tooth needs a root canal. First, let's start with the one that may not be so obvious, but makes sense when thought about. A tooth that has chronic (long lasting) severe pain. The nerve that sends pain signal back to the brain is located on the inside of the tooth and is protected by the tooth. If there is something that has compromised this protection the nerve inside the tooth is exposed. Most commonly, this is usually a cavity that has gotten to that nerve. At this point, the tooth usually needs a root canal for two reasons; 1) the nerve is damaged and needs to be removed (root canal), 2) putting a filling in that tooth will cause the the nerve more damage which means a root canal. Secondly, sometimes a tooth can require a root canal in order to make it a functional tooth. This means that if your tooth has been worn down from grinding, fillings coming out, or the tooth breaking there is not enough tooth left to build up. In this case, in order to build up the tooth a post is put into the tooth to hold the build up in. In order to put a post in the middle of the tooth (where the nerve is) the nerve needs to be removed, which means a root canal needs to be performed. This is referred to as a root canal for restorative purposes.
Hope this helps.
My best to you!
William F. Scott IV, DMD
Several reasons why a tooth may require a root canal
1) decay
2) periodontal which mean inflammation and bone loss causing tooth nerve to die ..
3) a large old filing with secondary decay
4) attrition / bruxisim
1) decay
2) periodontal which mean inflammation and bone loss causing tooth nerve to die ..
3) a large old filing with secondary decay
4) attrition / bruxisim
To be able to retain it. If the nerve's bad, or there's a lot of pain, having a root canal allows one to save teeth vs extraction. It's cheaper to keep your natural equipment so to speak, vs having implants placed.
The nerve is exposed or abscess.
