Root Canal Specialist In Tuscaloosa, AL

When you experience an infection or trauma to a tooth, we may recommend a root canal. We will be able to treat your condition right here in our Tuscaloosa, AL dental office.

Many of our patients express fear or concern about pain when it comes to having a root canal. However, the symptoms you feel are often the most painful part of the procedure. Because root canals eliminate your infection and promote healing, you should begin to improve soon after your treatment.

Save Your Natural Teeth and Get Relief for Toothaches

If you have a toothache that won't go away, it may be time to find a dentist who does root canals in Tuscaloosa, AL. Mark Tickle DMD Family & Implant Dentistry can help you get relief for your tooth aches, and help you discern why you're hurting. Sometimes the cause of the pain is a tooth that is infected and needs a root canal. 

Though many jokes have been told about root canals, modern dental technology is very effective and root canals are a relatively painless way to clear out a tooth infection and save your natural tooth or teeth, while also helping rid you of your tooth pain. Mark Tickle DMD wants to help you keep your natural teeth, whenever it is possible, and he specializes in oral surgery, including root canals.

A root canal is a procedure specifically designed to save you from losing a tooth. Our teeth are comprised of certain parts, one of them being the pulp. A tooth’s pulp is where the nerve, blood vessels, and connective tissue are housed. When this area becomes inflamed or infected, then a root canal procedure must be taken in order to save that tooth from falling right out of your mouth. 

Below, we answer some of your questions about receiving a root canal.

What is a Root Canal?

When you experience an infection inside your tooth, it can cause painful inflammation and sensitivity. Dr. Mark Tickle diagnoses this condition by using digital x-rays and other testing to determine the cause of your pain. Other root canal symptoms include:

• Sensitivity to hot and cold
• Swelling near the infection site
• Pain or pressure
• A pimple-like lesion on your gums
• Tooth discoloration

This simple treatment can save your natural teeth and prevent the need of dental implants or bridges.

At the center of your tooth is pulp. Pulp is a collection of blood vessels that helps to build the surrounding tooth. Infection of the pulp can be caused by trauma to the tooth, deep decay, cracks and chips, or repeated dental procedures. Symptoms of the infection can be identified as visible injury or swelling of the tooth, sensitivity to temperature or pain in the tooth and gums.

Using a root canal procedure to conserve a tooth may provide you with many benefits to your oral health. Some of these benefits include:

• restore chewing and biting force;
• restore sensation;
• provide a more natural appearance; and
• protect your teeth from further damage or infection.

How is a Root Canal Treatment Performed?

If you experience any of the above symptoms, most likely non-surgical tool root canal treatment is recommended to eliminate the diseased pulp. The injured pulp is removed and the root canal system is thoroughly cleaned and sealed.

Dr. Tickle always makes sure our patients feel completely comfortable prior to beginning any treatment by applying local anesthetic. He will access the inner canals of your tooth by making a small hole in your enamel. Next, he will remove any infection or diseased tissue using a method called rotary endodontics. 

Rotary endodontics utilizes a superior method for cleaning out the chambers that house your pulp and nerve. Because it uses a highly flexible, thin tip, it reduces the chance of damaging the fragile interior of your tooth. It is also a quieter and more comfortable method to clean out the infection in your tooth. Because of this advanced technology, your procedure will be comfortable and you can enjoy increased success when it comes to treatment.

Once Dr. Tickle removes the infection, he will sterilize the area, fill it, and seal it with a temporary restoration while you heal.

Root Canal Therapy and Dental Restorations

You might be surprised to learn that your tooth is more brittle after a root canal. We may recommend a dental crown to protect a fragile tooth. Chewing requires extreme force and can result in broken or split teeth following a root canal unless we protect these teeth with a crown. We create custom porcelain crowns in our office that look and feel great. With a root canal and the appropriate restoration, we can extend the life of your tooth by decades.

How Do You Know If You Need A Root Canal?

At the center of every tooth is a hollow area, known as the “pulp chamber”. The pulp chamber serves as a sort of reservoir that holds soft tissues such as the nerve, connective tissue, and blood vessels.

The nerve of a tooth is located in the root. The root canals run from the root’s tip to the pulp chamber. However, the nerve does not play a major role in the day-to-day function of the tooth as it is primarily only used to detect hot or cold temperatures.

A root canal treatment may be required when the pulp of the tooth becomes damaged and bacteria starts to fill up the chamber and multiply.

This, along with decaying pulp, causes the tooth to become infected or abscessed. An abscessed tooth typically has pus-filled pockets at the tip of the root.

An infection in the tooth usually manifests in the canal, causing facial swelling, bone loss around the end of the root, or a drainage hole in the side of the tooth.

What Is The Root Canal Treatment Process?

The experienced staff at Mark Tickle DMD Family & Implant Dentistry will take an x-ray of the tooth in question prior to the treatment in order to check the shape of the canals and determine if the bone or surrounding area is infected.

To begin the process of treating the tooth, your dentist will administer a local anesthetic to numb the particular area.

By using a rubber sheet also known as a “dam” to isolate the tooth, your dentist keeps the tooth and surrounding area clean and dry and free of saliva.

A hole is then drilled into the tooth to gain access to the pulp chamber.

Once your Tuscaloosa dentist has exposed the pulp chamber, he or she will then begin to remove infected pulp and, eventually, the nerve itself.

This process is accomplished through the use of root canal files. These files, which vary in diameter, are placed one at a time into the tooth and down the entire root canal.

This effectively cleans out any debris from the chamber and canal. Once this is done, your dentist will refill the canals and chamber with a rubber compound and seal it with cement.

How Much Will a Root Canal Cost at Your Tuscaloosa Clinic?

The cost associated with this specialized procedure will vary. It is contingent upon factors such as the severity of damage to the affected tooth and which tooth is affected. It is also dependent upon age, general health, and the existence of any underlying medical conditions. In general, endodontic treatment is much less expensive than tooth removal and replacement with an artificial tooth. Simply put, if you need a root canal, it’s worth getting it done right away. The cost of not doing so is exponentially greater.

Experienced And Skilled Root Canal Specialists in Tuscaloosa

Mark Tickle DMD Family & Implant Dentistry has been helping Tuscaloosa patients find relief from pain with a root canal for years. 

If you feel you may be in need of a root canal, contact the friendly staff at (205) 758-0200 or request an appointment online today!