Endodontics means, as you may already know, a root canal. The mere sound of this word to someone who knows what it is and who has been through this process in the past is enough to bring bad memories of painful experiences to their mind. This procedure is necessary to so many people, but it, unfortunately, is usually a very painful and uncomfortable experience. Even though pain medication is administered for the operation, the endodontic treatment takes place so close to the nerves that this pain treatment is often not enough to make it go away.

When tooth decay or infections have caused significant damage to a tooth, it is needed for the dentist to drill into the tooth to remove the damaged area. Normally, this is a shallow hole, and is filled in with a filler and the problem is cured for good. The problem begins when a cavity is allowed to go untreated. As it spreads deeper in the tooth, it will cause pain that demands for it to be treated. When you go in for that examination, you will probably be sad to hear that the problem has progressed so far down it has affected the root of the tooth. At that point, an endodontic procedure is needed to remove the decay and save the tooth.

Though this operation may be painful, don’t think about putting it off. A tooth that is in a state where it has decayed to the point that a root canal is needed doesn’t have much life left. The tooth could literally die and fall out if it’s not repaired in a timely manner. Speaking of catching things in time, root canals are normally only needed on teeth that have had cavities that have gone untreated for extended periods of time. Get yours looked at during every checkup period, and you’ll likely avoid ever needing a root canal. The short term benefits of putting off your dental checkup are blown away by the long term cost of not doing it.

By comparison, the cost of basic oral hygiene and preventive teeth cleaning is low. The cost of a good soft bristle toothbrush, replaced every three months or so, is only a few dollars. The same goes for dental floss. A quick once-over with your toothbrush isn’t the answer to oral hygiene or to keeping a beautiful smile. Good oral hygiene, including daily brushing and flossing, combined with regular visits to your dentist, is the first line of defense against the buildup of plaque and eventual periodontal disease. Good oral hygiene also guards your general well-being and health.

Dentists will tell you that a daily habit of brushing and flossing makes your gums healthy, makes your teeth healthy, and improves the odor of your breath. But there are also other benefits. Consider the bacterial flora of the mouth. There is only one other place, for the most part, in the body that has a flora anything close to what the colon has, and that’s the mouth. It has a lot of anaerobic bacteria (can grow without oxygen), which means it’s going to grow a more potentially pungent odor-producing kind of bacteria, and those that can produce certain types of chemicals that cause diseases like periodontitis and unique complications like tooth, gum, and bone decay.

Make it a habit to gargle after you eat anything. This is the one very important habit that almost everyone neglects. This is very important to maintain good oral hygiene as it gets rid of any food particles that can be left behind after eating. It is these food particles that remain in the mouth and start decaying and give rise to more expensive dental problems. Oral Hygiene can help prevent worse problems from developing as well. Studies have long revealed a correlation between periodontal disease and health problems, including diabetes, stroke and heart attack.