Endodontic therapy is a treatment used to clear your tooth of disease and bacteria that has reached the pulp, which is inside of the tooth. Many people often call this procedure a root canal because the oral surgeon will clean out the roots of your tooth. The pulp of your tooth is underneath the dentin and tooth enamel, which is considered the hardest material in your body. If your tooth is cracked or develops a serious cavity, bacteria can reach this pulp and infect the inside of your tooth. Endodontic therapy is designed to get rid of all the diseased parts of your tooth and prevent any further infections from occurring. Endodontic therapy is very helpful in relieving the pain a diseased tooth can cause, but there are ways to avoid this altogether. Daily brushing and flossing can keep your teeth clean, and visiting your dentist regularly is essential as well. During dental checkups, your dentist can find and repair cracks in your teeth before the bacteria reaches the pulp.

We all have plaque on our teeth, which contains thousands of different kinds of bacteria. These bacteria, believe it or not, love sugary foods and drinks more than we do! When the bacteria mix with sugar, they create an acid that starts to eat away at your tooth enamel and can create a little hole, which is called a cavity. The plaque, bacteria, and acid will continue to erode your enamel until your dentist cleans out the plaque and fills in the hole. This procedure is called a filling. Unfortunately, there is no way to rid our mouths of the bacteria that cause cavities, but there are some ways to prevent a cavity from forming. Of course, brushing and flossing regularly will help keep your mouth clean, and eating healthy foods can eliminate some of the sugars you would be receiving from less healthy food. One preventive method that might surprise you is chewing sugarless gum after you eat. Gum chewing produces more saliva, which reduces the amount of acid left in your mouth after a meal.