Few dental procedures frighten patients more than the dreaded root canal. So many of our patients ask us the same question: what can they do to make sure they never need to get one?
To be frank, there’s no way to be 100% sure you’ll never need a root canal. However, there are several key things you can do to make it a lot less likely. Keep reading to learn what they are and why they work.
1. Brush and Floss
Most root canals are done on patients with severe tooth decay. Brushing and flossing regularly is the most important thing you can do to keep this problem at bay. Even if you still get the occasional cavity, good oral hygiene will slow their progression and give you more time to get them treated while they’re still small.
2. Minimize Sugar (Especially Sugary Drinks)
High-sugar diets are arguably the number-one factor that leads to root canals. Every time you eat or drink something, the bacteria in your mouth eat too – and sugar is their favourite food.
The more sugar you consume throughout the day, the more time the bacteria have to feed on that sugar and excrete acids that cause tooth decay. Sugary drinks are especially harmful because they coat your teeth and stick to their surfaces. Drink them frequently enough and you could end up with severe tooth decay even with perfect oral hygiene.
Stick to low-sugar snacks like nuts and fresh vegetables when you can. If you take sugar in your coffee or tea, leave it out or switch to a sugar-free alternative. Enjoy sugary treats with a meal so your teeth don’t have to fight off those damaging acids twice.
3. Wear a Mouthguard if Your Grind Your Teeth
Teeth grinding (or bruxism, to use the technical term) is a common problem that can cause restorations to fail prematurely. If your grinding dislodges a filling, the tooth around that loose filling becomes much more vulnerable to decay. Since the worst of it is often hidden under the remaining filling material, decay like this can easily get bad enough to need a root canal.
Grinding can also crack and break teeth. Even teeth without fillings can be vulnerable to this type of damage. If the break gets close enough to the nerve, the tooth will need a root canal to control pain and minimize the chance of infection. Luckily, wearing a mouthguard will almost always prevent this from happening!
4. Visit Your Dentist Regularly
Root canals are invasive treatments that are only done when absolutely necessary. Getting regular cleanings and checkups helps you catch problems early and treat them before they spiral out of control. Make attending your biannual checkups a priority and you could go your whole life without needing a root canal. Go too long between appointments, though, and you’ll be much more likely to have root canal-level problems when you finally sit down in the dentist’s chair.
Face Your Root Canal Fears with Coscarella Family Dentistry
Root canals are not inevitable, but they’re also not the end of the world. If you need one, you need one – and wouldn’t it be nice to get it over with? Contact our team today to book an exam and get the ball rolling. We can’t guarantee you won’t feel any pain, but we can promise you we’ll do our best to keep you comfortable during your procedure.
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