Reasons for a Root Canal

Oral surgery can be frightful for any patient, especially if they hear the words, “root canal.” A root canal becomes necessary when the pulp, the soft tissue inside the root canal, becomes inflamed or infected. This can be caused by a variety of reasons – deep decay, numerous dental procedures on the tooth, or a crack or chip that lies within the tooth. If you do end up needing a root canal, Dr. Charles Crouch of Summit Dental Group would like you to know what to expect.

If you’re questioning whether or not you’ll eventually need endodontic treatment, signs to look for include pain, extended sensitivity to hot and cold beverages, and swelling of the tooth and gums. With all of the advances in dental technology, undergoing a root canal procedure is less painful than living with a decayed tooth.  To save your tooth, Dr. Charles Crouch will remove the inflamed or infected pulp of the tooth and carefully clean and shape the inside of the root canal. He will then fill and seal the space. This procedure is usually completed within two appointments. During your second appointment, the doctor will place a crown to fully restore the tooth back to its natural function.

If you have questions or concerns about the root canal procedure, please give us a call. To learn about services we provide at the practice, visit www.summitdentalgroupllc.com for more information. To schedule, an appointment with Dr. Charles Crouch of Summit Dental Group call our Fort Worth, TX, office at 817-294-8505, or our Grand Prairie, TX, office at 972-695-2310.

Preventing and Treating Dry Sockets

Following tooth extractions, the biggest risk facing a patient is a dry socket. We at Summit Dental Group take steps to prevent this, including fully informing our clients about what to do during their recoveries. But dry sockets are still possible, particularly following complicated extractions which required suturing, so we want our patients to know when to seek help.

It is very important that patients inform us of all their medications. Clot formation is necessary to prevent dryness and infection, and the clot will need to remain in place for most of the healing process. Actions such as sipping through a straw and smoking pose an unacceptable risk of dislodging the clot.

If a clot is dislodged, the socket will probably dry out within two days. If patients don’t see that the clot is missing, they will know it by their intense pain. This should be treated as an emergency. We will clean the socket and apply medicated wound dressing to the surgical site. This dressing will need to be changed every few days, which will allow us to more closely monitor the patient’s recovery. We will also provide the patient with necessary medication.

Dr. Charles W. Crouch and Dr. Hai Nguyen operate Summit Dental Group at two locations. For the office at 4769 Barwick Dr, Fort Worth, Texas, 76132, call 817-294-8505. For the office at 838 South Carrier Pkwy, Grand Prairie, Texas, 75051, call 972-695-2310. You can also visit SummitDentalGroupLLC.com and request an appointment. We are open six days a week to serve you.