Cook Family and Cosmetic Dentistry

WE ARE NOT A CHAIN OR CORPORATE DENTAL OFFICE :)

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(205) 326-6384

530 32nd Street South · Birmingham AL 35233

530 32nd Street South Birmingham, AL 35233

Cook Family and Cosmetic Dentistry > Services > Root Canal Treatment

It's true! Root canals treat painful infections and are usually no more complicated than a filling.

If You're In Pain, Don't Wait Another Moment

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Root Canal Treatment in Birmingham, AL

Root Canal Treatment in Birmingham, AL You have a toothache and start to notice swelling. You’re considering over-the-counter pain relievers or a call to the dentist but are unsure. These symptoms indicate a root canal infection, which should be treated by a dentist as soon as possible.

Your Birmingham dentist will have you come in for an assessment to confirm this diagnosis.

If you have a tooth root infection, it’s crucial to seek treatment with an emergency dentist. Without treatment, pain typically worsens, and the infection can spread, costing you your tooth and comfort. With timely intervention, we can save the tooth and ease your pain.

Root canals are not complicated or painful, so please don’t believe the myths. Patients at Cook Family and Cosmetic Dentistry have been pleasantly surprised to discover how easy and stress-free root canal treatment in 35213 can be!

Lower Your Tooth Infection Risks

With healthy habits and good choices, root canal infections are largely preventable. Below, your Birmingham dentist shares a few tips to help you avoid these painful dental emergencies.

Good Oral Hygiene

Brush your teeth at least twice daily and floss at least once daily to help lower your risk of tooth infection. Ask your hygienist for tips on brushing and flossing.

See Your Dentist

Visit the dentist every six months for comprehensive checkups and professional teeth cleanings to lower your risk for most preventable oral health conditions.

Avoid Oral Injury

To protect your smile, always wear a custom mouthguard when competing in athletics and a nightguard if you grind and clench your teeth during sleep.

My son's favorite dentist

Dr. Cook is not the first dentist to see my 9-year-old, but he's now the only one Jason will see. I constantly hear how the shots don't hurt and he never feels anything. And most recently Jason needed a root canal on a front permanent tooth that he broke while playing...and he actually took a nap during the procedure!! I'm very happy (and so is my son) with Dr. Cook.

-L. Pearson

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Signs You Need Root Canal Therapy

An illustration of Root Canal Treatment in Birmingham, AL If you have an infected tooth root, you may notice some or all of the following symptoms:

Toothache or increasing tooth sensitivity
Gum or face swelling near the painful tooth
Tooth darkening or discoloration.

Sometimes, the pain will be minimal if the tooth nerve is damaged. So, if you notice other symptoms, such as tooth discoloration or swelling, it’s still vital to contact a dental team member for an assessment. Our skilled and compassionate support team can schedule an emergency dental visit and provide tips to help ease pain as you await your appointment.

A definitive diagnosis is vital because oral health issues can mimic one another in symptoms!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a root canal?

A root canal or "endodontic" treatment basically restores your painful or infected tooth back to health. Basically, a tooth is hollow, kind of like a drinking straw. Inside this hollow space (the root canal) is where the nerves, blood vessels, and other "stuff" is located. Outside of the tooth, our mouths have bacteria that naturally live there. However, if these bacteria enter the root canal either through a cavity or a crack in the tooth, the nerve can die and the tooth will require a root canal treatment.

Root Canal Process

Root canals are not painful...some patients may remember a painful tooth that needed a root canal, but the actual procedure takes the pain away. Many patients actually take a nap during the root canal! During the procedure, the tooth is numbed, any cavity is cleaned up, and access is gained to the hollow "root canal" space of the tooth. Then we thoroughly clean that hollow space, dry it, and seal it.

After a root canal, many teeth will need a full-coverage crown as soon as possible for protection against cracking, as the tooth is now more brittle and fragile than before the root canal procedure.

Please give us a call if we can be of any help!

How long does a root canal take?

A root canal in Brentwood, TN, is your dentist's procedure to save an otherwise endangered tooth. This level of damage can have multiple causes; extensive decay or cavities, fractures, large chips, and wear that have impacted a tooth's internal structure. When this happens, bacteria that live in your mouth may infect your tooth.

While root canal therapy is often associated with pain, it's not an inherently painful procedure. Instead, the infection growing inside the tooth causes significant pain, and the root canal treatment will resolve that pain.

Root Canal Treatment Complete in Two Appointments

Your dentist at Sullivan Dental Partners will perform the majority of root canal therapy on the first visit. The procedure begins with numbing your tooth, then your dentist removes all the infection and shapes your remaining tooth to support the dental crown. Finally, to ensure no further infection can grow, your dentist will seal the tooth entirely.

After around two weeks of healing time, the second appointment will be when your dentist installs your permanent dental crown, tooth-like look and feel. With proper care and maintenance, a new dental crown can last a decade or longer.

Root Canal Therapy in Brentwood, TN

You can find relief from the pain caused by tooth damage and decay through root canal treatment. We encourage you to give Sullivan Dental Partners a call and save a tooth today.

Do you offer sedation?

We know that dental treatments can cause anxiety for many patients, and our priority is getting you the important care you need. If you experience dental phobia, we can offer anxiety-reducing medications.

It is very common to be afraid of visiting the dentist. In fact, it’s a problem that affects millions of people. Sometimes the fear may be so overwhelming that you’re tempted to put off important treatments designed to protect your oral health.

Reduce Dental Anxiety

Of course, you already know that avoiding treatment only postpones the inevitable. But we need to find a way to help reduce your anxiety, and that’s why we offer anxiolysis options.

Sedation Options

When we use anxiolysis medications, you will not go to sleep. You will just feel very calm and a little drowsy. Many of our patients tell us that, after treatment, they don’t really remember what was going on around them. Because of the drowsy effects most patients will feel, we require these patients to have someone drive them home after the appointment. The effects wear off fairly quickly, but can vary from person to person from almost immediately after treatment to a few hours later.

Please don’t put off dental treatment because of your anxiety. We will be happy to explain more about the benefits of anxiolysis at your next visit. Please call our Birmingham dental office to schedule an appointment.

Meet Our Doctor:

Dr. Aaron Cook | Dentist | Cook Family & Cosmetic Dentistry | Birmingham, AL

Aaron Cook DMD

Welcome to Cook Family Dental!

My name is Dr. Aaron Cook. I am very excited to be a part of this dental family, and I look forward to getting to know each one of our valued patients. Let me tell you a little about myself.

I grew up in Hoover and was a member of the first graduating class from Hoover High School. I attended Birmingham-Southern College and got my dental degree from UAB Dental School in ...

Choosing and Emergency Dentist in Birmingham, AL, for Treatment

A young man getting Root Canal Treatment in Birmingham, AL Dr. Cook has completed many hours of continuing education on endodontic (root canal) treatment and has extensive experience performing this tooth-saving service. You can expect gentle and professional emergency dental care from Dr. Cook. However, if you’re still unsure, talk to us about nitrous oxide, a safe and relaxing gas with no lingering side effects.

If you have a tooth root infection, we’ll numb the treatment area, extract the infection, and close your tooth temporarily. You come in for a tooth-colored filling or crown at a future visit. Typically, we recommend crowns to restore tooth stability and prevent a future fracture because the treated infection often weakens tooth structure.

Remember, root canal infections are painful, but root canal therapy is painless. Treatment can restore your comfort and well-being while saving your tooth and preventing the spread of infections.

Gentle Root Canal Therapy in Birmingham, AL

If you need root canal therapy or have questions for our dental team, please call our Birmingham dental office at (205) 326-6384 as soon as possible. The sooner we can provide treatment, the better your chances of avoiding tooth loss.

Featured Blog Posts - Root Canal Treatment

May 1, 2020

Signs You Might Need an Emergency Root Canal

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While our goal is to keep your smile healthy and out of pain whenever we can, we understand that sometimes you might need emergency dental treatment or an urgent procedure that you didn’t see coming.

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8 Major Connections between Gum Disease and Your Overall Health

illustration of Gum Disease in| Birmingham, AL

Have you been hearing more about gum disease lately? There’s a good reason for this; the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report that nearly half of US adults over the age of 30 have some level of gum disease. If you’re over 65, the rate jumps to 70 percent.

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3 Symptoms That Mean a Root Canal Might Be Needed

Woman Tooth Pain covering her mouth after visiting Cook Family and Cosmetic Dentistry

Nobody looks forward to root canal treatment; in fact, many people would rather risk their good oral health than agree to the procedure. Unfortunately, this reaction is often related to a negative experience with a root canal that someone had decades ago.

But everything about dentistry, from comfort to technology and ...