Sometimes the nerve of the tooth is compromised either due to blunt trauma or deep cavities. Slowly the nerve tissues inside the tooth start to die and let out strong pain signals to cold, hot, or sweets. Over time all the nerve tissues die off and start to decompose and pool forming an abscess at the apex of the root. In these cases the pressure from the abscess can cause pain and discomfort when you bite down and develop a foul taste and smell in your mouth. In either case, if there is enough tooth structure in the mouth to restore the tooth then it can be saved with Root Canal Therapy, removing the bacteria and ridding the pain with out extracting the tooth!
What should I expect during the procedure?
Does it hurt?
Not at all!
With proper isolation and anesthesia the treatment is done pain free! Most patients leave with less pain than what they came in with. If the infection and abscess is too severe then a course of antibiotics is usually given first to bring down the inflammation prior to starting root canal therapy.