When most people hear the words “root canal,” it sends shivers of fear down their spine. They imagine an incredibly painful procedure. However, there is absolutely nothing to fear if your dentist tells you that you need root canal therapy. In fact, it’s quite a comfortable procedure that can both relieve your pain and save your tooth from having to be extracted! Keep reading below to learn more about root canals and how our dentist, Dr. Fromuth >, can ensure your comfort during this treatment.
The innermost layer of your tooth, where the nerve is located, is called the pulp. When decay or damage reaches the pulp, it can result in a world of pain that distracts you from living your daily life. At this point, the only treatment option besides extracting the tooth is root canal therapy.
The first step of the procedure is numbing your mouth to ensure you don’t feel pain. Thanks to local anesthetic, most patients report that getting a root canal is about as comfortable as receiving a standard filling. We also offer sedation options for those who are nervous about their root canal.
Once the tooth is numb, we access its center and remove the damaged pulp, including the nerve, so that the pain shouldn’t bother you in the future. We then sanitize the inside of the tooth and fill it with a synthetic material called gutta-percha to help maintain its structure. After getting a root canal, we typically recommend that most patients receive a dental crown to protect the tooth from further damage.
More often than not, a root canal is needed due to decay or infection deep within the tooth. If left untreated, this infection could spread to surrounding teeth, gums, or even your jawbone, resulting in a slew of oral health problems.
Not to mention, root canal therapy saves your tooth from having to be extracted. Missing teeth can compromise your dental health in many ways. For example, they make it harder to enjoy healthy crunchy foods like vegetables, and they weaken your jawbone, putting you at risk for additional tooth loss. Not to mention, getting a missing tooth replaced can be costly. Root canal therapy saves you from having to deal with all of those problems.
While only a dentist can determine whether a root canal is necessary, call us right away if you experience any of the following symptoms:
Perhaps you’re now convinced that you need a root canal. Still, you likely want to know the treatment’s cost before you commit to anything. After all, it wouldn’t make sense to get a procedure that doesn’t fit your budget! In truth, though, Drs. Fromouth can’t estimate a price without seeing you first. The cost of a root canal in Manchester depends on your situation, and they can only know the latter once they’ve met you. Fortunately, we can quickly give you an estimate following an in-person consultation .
To learn more about root canal costs, keep reading or call our office today!
Our Fromouth & Langlois Dental team can only learn about a root canal’s cost after looking over your tooth (or teeth). In particular, we’ll determine the price based on things like:
A tooth extraction would have a lower initial cost than a root canal. However, you’d likely face more long-term expenses in exchange.
You see, losing a natural tooth has lasting, harmful effects. For starters, it’d make your other teeth shift and thus cause misalignment in your bite. Consequently, you’d feel more pain and have a harder time eating. Worse yet, your risk of further tooth loss would increase — shifting teeth are more likely to fall out of your mouth.
You’d need to replace the tooth with an implant or bridge to prevent these outcomes. Combined with the prior extraction, these services would exceed the cost of a root canal in Manchester. As such, it’s more cost-effective to save the natural tooth than pay up for a later replacement.
Root canal therapy is a type of urgent dental care, meaning it’s a major procedure. For that reason, dental insurance plans will usually cover 50-80% of the cost after the deductible has been met.
Of course, every dental plan (and provider) is different. Therefore, confirm your coverage with your insurance company first. We’d be happy to help you with this process too!
You might worry a root canal would be too expensive without dental insurance. Thankfully, that isn’t the case! Many dental practices offer and accept other options for making treatment affordable.
For example, consider our own office’s in-house membership plan . In exchange for a low monthly fee, we can provide one free emergency exam yearly. As you might expect, said exam can cover root canal therapy!
On the other hand, we also offer flexible financing through third-party programs like CareCredit. These services would let you pay for a treatment with manageable monthly installments.
In the end, you can count on us at Fromuth & Langlois Dental for help with root canals. We’ll perform the procedure and navigate the costs for you. Therefore, don’t hesitate to call us to save your tooth!
Have you been told that you’re in need of a root canal? You may still have some unanswered questions about the procedure, so we’re here to help. Here are the answers to some of the most common questions we receive about root canal therapy in Manchester. If you don’t see the information that you’ve been looking for below, don’t worry. Give us a call and we’d be happy to walk you through the procedure so that you know what to expect.
Before your procedure begins, your mouth will be numbed with a local anesthetic, so you shouldn’t feel a thing. However, after the numbness wears off, you will probably experience some mild sensitivity, but this should be temporary. Most of the time, it can be relieved with over-the-counter pain relievers. It’s a good idea to avoid chewing on particularly hard foods during the recovery period, as this can worsen discomfort. After about three days, this should subside.
In addition to eating a healthy meal and avoiding alcohol before your root canal, stay away from tobacco since it can interfere with the numbing medication. Most dentists recommend taking an over-the-counter pain reliever, like ibuprofen, before the procedure to reduce the discomfort as the numbness wears off. Get a good night’s sleep the night before your root canal. This will help to reduce nerves and ensure that your immune system is ready to help you recover more quickly.
While antibiotics can treat bacterial infections in almost every other part of the body, they don’t work when it comes to tooth infections. This is because antibiotics travel through the bloodstream to target infected areas of the body, but the bloodstream cannot reach the pulp of a tooth. Therefore, they cannot eliminate an infection there. If a tooth is infected, the only options to eliminate it are through root canal therapy or an extraction.
Dental insurance primarily covers routine care, like checkups and cleanings. However, most dental insurance plans will cover a portion of the cost after you have paid your deductible and before you have reached your annual maximum. Root canal therapy is typically considered a major restorative procedure and is often covered at up to 50% by insurance.