Do you need a root canal to restore your healthy smile? Thanks to modern dentistry, root canal treatment is now a comfortable, routine procedure—often no more complicated than receiving a dental filling. A root canal can relieve pain, save your natural tooth, and protect the appearance of your smile.
At Precious Smiles Family Dentistry, we combine advanced technology with a gentle touch to ensure every patient receives the highest standard of care. When you visit our Tampa dental office for root canal therapy or root canal retreatment, your comfort and health are always our top priorities!
Do I Need a Root Canal?
Every tooth has more than just the hard outer surface. Inside is a soft tissue called the dental pulp, which contains nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissue. When the pulp becomes inflamed, infected, or irreversibly damaged, a root canal is often the only way to save the tooth. Some common signs you may need root canal therapy include:
- Persistent toothache or pain that wakes you up at night
- Sensitivity to hot, cold, or sweet foods and drinks
- Pain when biting or chewing
- Swelling of the gums around the tooth
- Darkening or discoloration of a tooth
- Cracks, chips, or injuries that compromise the tooth’s health
- Without treatment, the infection can spread, leading to more serious dental or health problems.
How Root Canal Treatment Works
A root canal removes the diseased pulp, cleans the inside of the tooth, and seals it to prevent future infection. With local anesthesia and modern techniques, the procedure is usually painless and can often be completed in one or two visits with Precious Smiles Family Dentistry.
Here’s what you can expect:
- The affected area is numbed to ensure your comfort.
- The infected pulp is carefully removed.
- The inside of the tooth is disinfected and shaped.
- The space is filled with a biocompatible material.
- A temporary or permanent restoration is placed to protect the tooth.
Typically, a permanent dental crown will be recommended to restore strength and function to the treated tooth. Root canal therapy is one of the most effective methods of preserving a tooth that has been severely compromised by decay or injury. With proper oral hygiene and routine dental care, a tooth treated with a root canal can last just as long as your natural teeth.
Root Canal Retreatment
While most root canals are highly successful, a small number of cases may require retreatment. Sometimes a tooth may not heal as expected, or pain may persist. In other cases, symptoms can return months—or even years—after the original procedure. When this happens, root canal retreatment may be necessary. Retreatment gives your tooth another chance at long-term health and function.
There are several reasons a tooth may require root canal retreatment, including:
- Curved or narrow canals that made the initial treatment complex
- Undetected canals due to complex tooth anatomy
- Delayed placement of a permanent crown or filling, leading to reinfection
- Leakage from an old filling or crown
Even a tooth that initially healed well can later develop concerns that indicate a need for retreatment, including new decay that exposes the root canal to bacteria, a cracked, broken, or loose dental restoration, or a fracture in the crown or root of the tooth.
What to Expect During Root Canal Retreatment
If root canal retreatment is recommended, your dentist will carefully reopen the tooth to gain access to the canals. Any old root canal filling materials will be removed, and the inside of the tooth will be thoroughly cleaned and examined for previously missed or unusual canal shapes. The canals are then disinfected, reshaped, and resealed, with a temporary filling placed for protection.
A new permanent crown or restoration will be created to protect the tooth and restore its normal function.
Caring for Your Smile After Root Canal Therapy
Most people return to normal activities right away after root canal therapy. Even still, it’s normal to feel mild tenderness or sensitivity for a few days following treatment. This typically improves quickly and can be managed with over-the-counter medication. At Precious Smiles Family Dentistry, our team will provide personalized instructions to help you heal comfortably and help your tooth stay strong and protected.
Here's what to expect after your root canal treatment:
- Patients may experience lingering numbness immediately after their visit, until the anesthesia wears off. This typically lasts just an hour or two. During this time, it's important to protect yourself from biting or injuring the lips, cheeks, gums, or tongue. Stay mindful of chewing, smoking, and drinking hot beverages.
- When the anesthesia wears off, you may experience some mild to moderate discomfort that should subside within days. Our team will help promote your comfort during this time and will recommend over-the-counter pain medication or a prescription as needed.
- Take any antibiotics as prescribed and complete the course of medications to ensure proper healing.
- Stay mindful of the involved tooth to keep it protected until the permanent restoration is placed. Try to chew on the opposite side of the mouth and avoid hard and sticky foods.
To ensure the long-term success of your root canal, it’s also important to:
- Have the tooth permanently restored with a crown as soon as possible to rebuild its strength and integrity
- Practice proper oral hygiene with daily brushing and flossing
- Visit our office regularly for checkups and cleanings
With proper care and maintenance, a tooth treated with a root canal – or retreatment – can last a lifetime.
Preserve Your Smile with Root Canal Therapy
We understand that the idea of a root canal can seem intimidating, but our experienced team is here to put you at ease every step of the way. Using state-of-the-art technology and a patient-centered approach, we make sure each root canal treatment is efficient, effective, and as comfortable as possible.
You don't have to live with tooth pain and discomfort. To relieve your pain and protect your smile, contact Precious Smiles Family Dentistry in Tampa today to schedule your root canal consultation!
Frequently Asked Questions
A root canal can help you maintain your natural smile and is the most effective way to save a tooth that has been damaged by decay or injury. Often, the alternative to root canal treatment is to have the tooth removed and replaced. With proper care, a tooth treated with root canal therapy can continue to look, feel and function naturally for many years.
Thanks to modern dental anesthesia and technology, root canal treatment today is a common, comfortable dental procedure—comparable to getting a dental filling. Your tooth will be fully numbed with local anesthesia, and for patients looking for enhanced comfort and relaxation, we'll also discuss dental sedation options to help you feel even more at ease.
It's important to treat an infected tooth promptly, even if a dental infection seems to improve with antibiotics, an abscess is temporarily draining, or the tooth shows signs of infection on X-rays but isn’t yet causing pain. A root canal will allow our dentist to remove the infection, clean and seal the tooth, and prevent further complications, protecting your oral health and total-body wellness.
Yes, Precious Smiles Family Dentistry offers emergency dentist appointments, including same-day and after-hours emergency exams. If you're experiencing a severe toothache or suspect you may have a dental abscess or infection, our team will assess and treat the tooth as soon as possible to prevent further damage or additional health complications. If you need emergency dental care in Tampa, contact our office and our compassionate office team will get you scheduled at your earliest convenience.
The length of your root canal treatment will depend on factors like the presence of infection, the number of canals in the tooth, and the tooth’s size and anatomy. Some root canal treatments can be completed in a single visit to our Tampa dental office, while others may require two or three appointments.
Root canal therapy is a highly effective procedure, with a success rate over 95%, making it the best option for saving a tooth with damaged inner tissue. While a small number of teeth may develop symptoms again, many of these can still be preserved through root canal retreatment or a minor surgical procedure called an apicoectomy.
To keep a tooth treated with root canal therapy healthy, it’s important to have the appropriate restoration placed to protect and strengthen the tooth, practice good daily oral hygiene, and attend regular dental checkups and cleanings. Our team will seal the affected tooth with a strong restoration and provide all the aftercare instructions you need to keep the affected tooth strong for years to come.
Choosing to save a tooth with root canal therapy is a smart investment, less invasive and more cost-effective over time than extracting the tooth and replacing it with a bridge or implant. While exact cost of your root canal therapy may vary depending on which tooth is being treated, many dental insurance plans provide coverage for this procedure. At Precious Smiles Family Dentistry, we work to maximize your insurance benefits and minimize out-of-pocket costs. We're also happy to answer any questions you may have and review all available payment options for your root canal treatment.
At Precious Smiles Family Dentistry, we combine advanced technology with proven treatment methods to deliver gentle, effective care. Whether you're visiting our office for a root canal treatment, preventive visit, dental implant placement, or anything else your smile needs, our commitment to excellence is reflected in consistently successful outcomes, along with timely, convenient, and stress-free treatment for patients of all ages.
