{"id":155,"date":"2014-03-12T14:11:36","date_gmt":"2014-03-12T21:11:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tillmansmiles.com\/blog\/?p=155"},"modified":"2017-04-05T20:05:10","modified_gmt":"2017-04-05T20:05:10","slug":"are-there-alternatives-to-a-root-canal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tillmansmiles.com\/blog\/2014\/03\/12\/are-there-alternatives-to-a-root-canal\/","title":{"rendered":"Are there Alternatives to a Root Canal?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Pretty<\/a>You have a tooth that\u2019s giving you trouble. Maybe it throbs
\nperiodically throughout the day or maybe it sends zingers shooting through your
\nwhole mouth when you bite down. Very often, toothaches<\/a> are caused by deep
\ncavities and, in many cases, your dentist<\/a> will recommend a root canal to remove
\nthe source of infection. However, if caught early enough, you may be eligible
\nfor a pulp cap, a conservative alternative to root canal therapy that can help
\nyou avoid more invasive (and expensive) treatments.<\/p>\n

A Closer Look at Pulp Capping<\/h2>\n

The most common cause of a toothache is severe decay that has
\ndescended into the nerve-filled inner layer of the tooth, called the pulp. The
\nmost common treatment for deep decay is root canal therapy, a complex procedure
\nthat involves removing the infected pulp tissue, filling in the empty tooth
\nchamber, and sealing the tooth off with a crown, inlay, or onlay. If the decay
\nis caught just as it reaches the pulp, though, a pulp cap can stop the
\ninfection from descending further into the tooth. There are two kinds of pulp
\ncaps your dentist can place:<\/p>\n