A root canal is a treatment used to save a tooth that is badly decayed and/or infected. Nerve and pulp, the soft area within the center of the tooth, can become irritated, inflamed, and infected due to deep decay, repeated dental procedures on a tooth, large fillings, a crack or chip in the tooth, or trauma to the face. During a root canal procedure, the nerve and pulp is removed and the inside of the tooth is cleaned and sealed.
Root canal procedures have the reputation of being painful. In reality, most patients report that the procedure itself is no more painful than having a filling placed. The discomfort experienced in the period leading up to dental care is truly the painful period of time, not the root canal procedure itself.
The root canal procedure should relieve the pain you feel. Until your root canal procedure is completely finished – that is to say, the permanent filling is in place and/or the crown is placed, it is wise to minimize chewing on the tooth under repair. This step will help avoid re-contamination of the interior of the tooth and also may prevent a fragile tooth from breaking before the tooth can be fully restored. For the first few days following completion of treatment, the tooth may feel sensitive due to natural tissue inflammation, especially if there was pain or infection before the procedure.
As far as oral health care is concerned, brush and floss as you regularly would and see your dentist at normally scheduled intervals. The final step of the root canal procedure is application of a restoration such as a crown, to cover and protect the tooth.
With our team at Cox Family Dentistry & Orthodontics, you can rest assured that our commitment to high-quality care puts your goals and comfort first. We treat you like family and always recommend the most appropriate care options like root canals when needed, to keep you smiling in the years to come.
My husband and I moved to Fredericksburg and were looking for a dentist. Husband needs sedation dentistry due to dental trauma experienced in childhood. Few dentist will do sedation dentistry but Dr.... Read More
Let’s get to the important stuff first: Dr. Cox is the absolute wizard of Novocain injections. It doesn’t matter what part of your mouth he needs to poke, you don’t feel a thing! He also does gr... Read More
I have been coming here for over 15 years and love every aspect of this office. You see the same faces every visit and each time they treat you like family. The hygienists are very thorough and knowl... Read More
My husband and I moved to Fredericksburg and were looking for a dentist. Husband needs sedation dentistry due to dental trauma experienced in childhood. Few dentist will do sedation dentistry but Dr. Cox will. So now we have been going to Dr. Cox for about 3 years. My husband has had many procedures and he is very pleased. I had only had teeth cleaning until……an emergency - a painful cracked tooth! Dr. Cox and team really came through for me. They got me in for a consult same day and next day scheduled the work. An implant was a possibility if the damages were too severe but fortunately that was not required. On the day of the procedure, Dr. Cox performed a root canal, prepped the tooth for a crown and installed a permanent crown. I walked out in two hours, problem solved! I am grateful and well pleased with this dentist office and Dr. Cox. Also, the office is clean, well run, and the staff is friendly. One improvement that is needed and I hope they are working on it, is getting the parking lot repaired/resurfaced - it’s hard to avoid the holes.
Let’s get to the important stuff first: Dr. Cox is the absolute wizard of Novocain injections. It doesn’t matter what part of your mouth he needs to poke, you don’t feel a thing! He also does great dentistry. He’s done several different procedures for me including crowns and a root canal and I’ve been very happy with the results. His staff is friendly and efficient and I’ve never waited longer than 10 minutes to be seen. I’ve been a patient of Dr Cox for years. The reason I’m writing this review now is because I had a crown come off a tooth and needed it to be put back on. He saw me immediately, took 3 ex rays and fixed the problem and, even though the crown was from another dentist, didn’t charge anything. Great guy, great practice, great dentist.
I have been coming here for over 15 years and love every aspect of this office. You see the same faces every visit and each time they treat you like family. The hygienists are very thorough and knowledgeable they put you at ease but still educate you about your oral health. Dr. Cox has performed root canals and crowns on me and now I'm hoping to do an implant. It is so nice to get it all done in one office. His assistants are very caring and compassionate and always able to answer a question no matter how busy they are. The front desk staff greet everyone by name and are very enthused to see you whenever you walk through the door. They never act bothered to help explain a bill or the very confusing aspects of dental insurance. Both of my children have had braces with Dr. Sherri and what makes this office the best ortho office around is her hands on approach. You see Dr. Sherri every visit and she personally changes all wires. She is wonderful at explaining procedures and putting all fears at ease. I love my dental office!!
