Root Canal Therapy – Center, TX

Don’t Be Afraid to Save Your Tooth

Male dental patient smiling after root canal therapy in Center, TX

Many patients panic when they hear the words “root canal” from a dentist, but this highly successful treatment can save your natural teeth! At the Family Dental Center of East Texas, we prioritize your comfort throughout every step of this process, helping you say goodbye to chronic toothaches and regain a smile that feels and looks much better than before. Contact us today if you’d like to schedule an appointment to see if you need root canal therapy to save your smile.

Why Choose Family Dental Center of East Texas for Root Canal Therapy?

Experienced and Compassionate Dental Experts
Soothing, Relaxing Sedation Dentistry
State of the Art Dental Technology and Techniques

Do I Need Root Canal Therapy?

Woman with tooth pain in need of root canal therapy in Center, TX

Root canal therapy is often recommended for patients suffering from chronic toothaches, but it’s far from the only potential solution for dental pain. Typically, this treatment is only used in situations where a tooth is so badly damaged, decayed, or infected that fillings and dental crowns are no longer viable. A few signs that could point to needing root canal therapy include:

Severe tooth pain that lasts more than 24 hours.
Teeth that become sensitive to hot or cold temperatures.
Experiencing pain in one or two particular teeth when you chew your food.
Swollen, red, or tender gum tissue.
A pimple-like bump near the tooth in question.

All of these symptoms point toward a potential dental emergency that might require root canal therapy. Call our office to schedule a consultation as soon as possible.

The Root Canal Process

Illustration of tooth receiving root canal therapy in Center, TX

The goal of root canal therapy is to put a stop to your pain while preserving the natural tooth. Many people are nervous about having this treatment done, but we can help you relax with different types of dental sedation. We’ll also numb the area around the tooth with a local anesthetic. As a result, you may feel some pressure while we’re performing the treatment, but you won’t experience any discomfort.

Root canal therapy involves creating a small opening in the tooth’s enamel so that we can remove all the infected or damaged tissues. The inner portion of the tooth will then be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized. The now-empty space will be filled with a biocompatible material, and the tooth will be restored with a beautiful dental crown that has been personalized just for you.

The Benefits of Getting a Root Canal

Woman smiling with phone after root canal therapy in Center, TX

Save Your Teeth: Root canal therapy allows us to stop an infection from spreading any further to protect your teeth from additional damage. If the tooth isn’t treated in time, it will have to be removed, and that can take a lot of extra time and money.
Stop Your Pain: All the infected tissue and harmful particles causing you pain will be removed so that you can once again smile comfortably and confidently.
Virtually Painless Treatment: Root canal therapy is often said to be no more uncomfortable than getting a filling thanks to the modern techniques and technologies dentists now use.

Understanding the Cost of Root Canals

A patient calculating the cost of root canal therapy

Even if you’d like to get a root canal, maybe the price worries you. “After all,” you may think, “there’s a chance the treatment exceeds my budget.” However, the cost of root canal therapy varies by the patient. You’d need to consult Dr. Youngblood for an exact treatment estimate. Fortunately, he and his team will tailor treatment and provide helpful financing options. Our office can thus ensure affordable care. If you want to learn the specifics, just keep reading or call our office !

At the initial consultation, Dr. Youngblood will give you an oral exam. This step lets him (among other things) review the factors that’ll impact your root canal’s cost. In particular, he’ll assess the following items:

Tooth Type – In truth, different teeth have differing numbers of root canals. Your therapy’s price, then, partly depends on the affected tooth’s type.
Treatment Difficulty – Treating a highly-damaged tooth, naturally enough, is difficult. As such, doing so costs more than fixing less harmed ones.
Additional Needs – If the dentist must perform extra work besides a root canal, the overall treatment will be more expensive. (For example, you may need a crown placed after the therapy is done.)

Is it Cheaper to Pull My Tooth?

Tooth extraction, ultimately, does have a lower upfront price. It’s, therefore, tempting to choose it over root canal therapy. Still, having a tooth pulled is usually more expensive overall.

You see, losing a tooth has various long-term consequences. Your newly-made smile gap, for instance, may tilt your other teeth until they fall out. Similarly, this space could attract harmful bacteria that raise your risk of oral problems. If both were to happen, you’d suffer heightened dental pain and a crooked, dirty grin.

In contrast, root canal therapy lacks these issues. Because it saves the affected tooth, it doesn’t involve tilting teeth or increasing oral bacteria. Consequently, the procedure saves you money that would otherwise go toward extraction and replacement options.

Does Dental Insurance Cover Root Canal Therapy?

An insurance agent with a dental insurance form

Root canal therapy is a major procedure, so most dental plans cover it. In fact, many will extend their coverage to about 50-80% of its cost. (Assuming, of course, that you’ve met your yearly deductible.)

Even so, remember that every plan is different. Your own insurance policy may have different rules for root canals. Given that fact, you should confirm your benefits before pursuing care. Our team can help you do so if necessary.

Other Options for Making Root Canal Therapy Affordable

Thankfully, insurance isn’t the only way to make root canals affordable. As it happens, many dental practices have payment options that help with expenses.

Consider, for example, our own Family Dental Center of East Texas. We offer flexible financing via CareCredit, a third-party financier. You could pay for a root canal in monthly, low-interest installments through them. You’d then manage the cost gradually instead of all at once.

Ultimately, you can trust our team for affordable root canals. With that said, book a visit with us soon – we’d love to explain more financial facts and settle your treatment!

Root Canal FAQs

Can I Eat Before a Root Canal?

In most situations, it’s a good idea to eat something a few hours before your root canal. This is because it’s often difficult to eat for a few hours after the procedure due to the numbing agent, so you’ll want to go to your appointment on a full stomach.

If you’re being sedated before your root canal, however, it’s important that you fast the night before. This reduces the risk of nausea being produced by the sedative.

How Long Does a Root Canal Take?

Most root canals can be completed over the course of a single appointment, though may take two in some cases. The procedure itself can usually be completed with 30 to 90 minutes, depending on where the tooth is located and the complexity of the treatment. It’s worth noting that molars have more roots than the other teeth, which means that procedures done on them tend to take longer.

Can I Take Antibiotics Instead of Getting a Root Canal?

Given that root canals are typically a response to bacterial infection, you might wonder why antibiotics won’t work instead. This is because antibiotics are carried through the bloodstream, and won’t make it to the interior of the tooth via this method. While they can sometimes be useful as a supplemental treatment, they aren’t sufficient on their own to tackle the pulp infections that usually necessitate a root canal.

What Happens if You Wait Too Long for a Root Canal?

As you might have guessed from that description, the infection within your tooth can’t be addressed by the body’s immune system. That being the case, a tooth that doesn’t receive a root canal will only get worse over time. Any discomfort you’re feeling will only intensify, but even more than that, the infection is likely to spread to the surrounding teeth, to the gums, or even to the rest of the body. In the worst cases, your tooth may need to be removed completely. For these reasons, it’s critically important that you get a root canal quickly if it becomes clear that you need one.

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