If you are experiencing intolerable tooth pain, you may need a root canal. Anyone who has experienced the pain of needing a root canal realizes it is no laughing matter! Root canals can be tricky. Often times the pain comes on quickly, keeping you awake at night, making it difficult to speak and chew. Living with this excruciating tooth pain can be somewhat debilitating. Other times your tooth may only be slightly irritated. Perhaps you have developed a tooth abscess, a tiny pimple like lesion on your gum line near your tooth, often times a precursor to a root canal. If you are worried about troublesome tooth pain or a developing abbess and find yourself thinking "do I need a root canal?", don't hesitate to call your dentist.Teeth are filled with soft tissue pulp that is vital to maintaining healthy teeth and gums. This pulp houses nerves and blood vessels that keep your tooth alive. If your tooth pulp goes south, you will need a root canal. Different things can compromise the health of your tooth's pulp such as a cracked or damaged tooth. You can develop problems with your tooth pulp from a tooth that is held together by a large filling. Trauma to your teeth and mouth can cause damage to your tooth pulp, among other things. Dental issues that allow bacteria to enter the pulp chamber will cause infection, swelling and pain to your teeth, tissue and pulp. These harmful bacteria can even damage the jaw bone anchoring your teeth. When an infection or a tooth injury harms the tooth pulp, the pulp will die causing the need for a root canal. A root canal is designed to save your natural tooth, helping to preserve your oral health and jaw bone.Experienced dental professionals like the team at Windy Hill Dental Associates are equipped to perform virtually painless root canal procedures. It is a nice advantage to find a dental practice who offers root canals on site, so you don't have to wait to be sent to and seen by an endodontic specialist dentist that specializes in root canals. You can feel confident that saving your natural tooth by receiving a root canal will eliminate the pain and help preserve your dental health.‍