How Can You Avoid the Need for Root Canal Treatment?

You may never worry about root canal treatment, or even consider it, unless your dentist tells you that you need it. However, by that time, it’s too late to do anything to avoid. Root canal treatment is usually reserved for instances of severe, internal tooth decay, and is designed to save the tooth before the decay consumes it. At our Oxnard, CA, dental office, we focus on helping patients avoid the need for root canal treatmentand other complex restorations by emphasizing the basics of preventing tooth decay.

Why you might need the treatment
Root canal treatment isn’t the only solution to tooth decay. In fact, most cases can be successfully resolved with a custom-made, tooth-colored filling. However, that’s because those cases are detected and treated in their mild to moderate stages. The thing about tooth decay is that it doesn’t stop. Therefore, if it isn’t treated as soon as possible, it can become serious enough to reach the tooth’s inner pulp chamber and require root canal treatment to address.

How to stop it from getting so bad
The best way to avoid the need for root canal treatment at all is to prevent tooth decay from ever forming. That requires consistently keeping your teeth clean and free of harmful plaque and tartar by practicing excellent hygiene and visiting your dentist regularly. However, if tooth decay does develop, then the next best thing is to treat it with a tooth-colored filling before it has time to get worse and reach the tooth’s pulp chamber.

In case you do need root canal treatment
If it turns out that you do need root canal treatment, then time is even more important when it comes to saving your tooth. That’s because internal infection is a severe form of decay, and your tooth can be at serious risk of becoming a threat to the rest of your oral health. At this point, waiting any longer to treat your decay could result in the loss of the tooth or the need to extract it and replace it.

Learn if you can avoid root canal treatment
Root canal treatment is recommended when your tooth becomes internally infected. Therefore, avoiding it means preventing your tooth from becoming that compromised. For more information, schedule a consultation by calling Oxnard Dentistry in Oxnard, CA, today at (805) 604-9999. We also proudly serve patients from in and around Camarillo, Ventura, Thousand Oaks, Moore Park, and all surrounding communities.