{"id":2593,"date":"2021-07-15T02:43:59","date_gmt":"2021-07-15T02:43:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mygreatsmile.com\/?p=2593"},"modified":"2025-03-27T05:00:18","modified_gmt":"2025-03-27T05:00:18","slug":"do-i-need-a-root-canal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mygreatsmile.com\/blog\/do-i-need-a-root-canal\/","title":{"rendered":"Do I need a root canal?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-2594 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mygreatsmile.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Copy-of-iStock-492548455-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mygreatsmile.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Copy-of-iStock-492548455-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mygreatsmile.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Copy-of-iStock-492548455-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.mygreatsmile.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Copy-of-iStock-492548455-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.mygreatsmile.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Copy-of-iStock-492548455-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.mygreatsmile.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Copy-of-iStock-492548455.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>Patients who are experiencing a problem with their smile may be worried that their dentist may recommend root canal therapy. However, this procedure is nothing to be afraid of! Many myths have made their rounds in regards to root canal therapy being a painful treatment. It is, however, a treatment that is done with proper anesthetics and sedation to relieve patients of pain\u2014not cause it. Drs. David Peck, Pablo Velastegui, and Mahmoud Homsi of My Great Smile in Springfield, MA are dental providers here to bust the myth of painful procedures and educate patients on when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mygreatsmile.com\/root-canal-treatment.html\">root canal therapy<\/a> may be best for their smiles.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What happens during the root canal procedure?<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During root canal treatment, or \u201cendodontic therapy,\u201d the dentist will create an access point to get into the inner canals of the tooth. Then, the dental pulp, a mass of tissues, is removed from the tooth to eliminate the pain and discomfort. This is because the nerves and blood supply of a tooth are in the dental pulp. Once the pulp has been removed and the canals disinfected by the dentist, the area is sealed with gutta percha material and in many cases, a dental crown. The entire procedure can be done in one to two appointments to relieve patients of problems while maintaining the natural tooth in place.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why might I need root canal therapy?<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are several reasons why a dentist may recommend this treatment. Root canal therapy is performed due to:<\/span><\/em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Abscesses<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Severe infection<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trauma\/injury<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are signs that might indicate a need for root canal therapy?<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A severe toothache<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Painful biting and chewing<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Darkening tooth<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hot and cold sensitivity<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A fever<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inflammation and swelling of the g ums<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Signs of an active infection<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By visiting the dentist for an evaluation, a patient can learn more about the procedure they may need to bring their smile back to health and alleviate severe toothaches.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are you experiencing pain and discomfort?<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You may benefit from root canal therapy! Contact the team at My Great Smile to discuss your needs by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mygreatsmile.com\/contact.html\">calling<\/a> (413) 781-7645 for an appointment. We are conveniently located in Springfield, MA at 41 Taylor Street on the fourth floor and accept new patients and families.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Patients who are experiencing a problem with their smile may be worried that their dentist may recommend root canal therapy. However, this procedure is nothing to be afraid of! Many myths have made their rounds&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[78],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2593","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-root-canal-therapy"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Do I need a root canal? - Taylor Street Dental<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"My Great Smile in Springfield is here to bust the myth of painful procedures &amp; educate patients on when root canal therapy may be best.\u00a0Read more.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mygreatsmile.com\/blog\/do-i-need-a-root-canal\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Do I need a root canal? 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