Relieving Tooth Pain And Saving Your Smile At Our Periodontist’s Office
When you are experiencing severe tooth pain, extreme sensitivity to hot or cold, or deep swelling in your gums, you want fast, effective relief. Tooth pain often indicates that the sensitive nerve or tissue deep inside your tooth has become inflamed or infected. Rather than extracting the tooth and leaving an empty gap in your smile, modern root canal treatment allows our doctors to eliminate infection, remove pain, and save your natural tooth structure. At Sheldon & Furtado, PLLC, our team provides gentle, highly precise endodontic care in a warm and comfortable environment. Led by Dr. Lee Sheldon, Dr. Matt Sheldon, and board-certified periodontist Dr. Michel Furtado, our practice has proudly served Melbourne and Brevard County families since 1980.
If you are searching for a compassionate periodontist’s office near you to relieve tooth discomfort, our Melbourne clinic offers advanced endodontics for patients across Melbourne, Palm Bay, Viera, Rockledge, Indialantic, Satellite Beach, Cocoa Beach, and Suntree. We utilize digital diagnostics and relaxed sedation options to ensure your visit is completely pain-free. Do not let tooth pain disrupt your life; save your natural smile by calling our periodontists in Melbourne today at (321) 259-8000.
What Is Root Canal Treatment And Endodontics?
Endodontics is the specialized branch of restorative dentistry focused on diagnosing and treating diseases of the dental pulp, which is the innermost layer of your tooth containing blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissue. When deep decay, repeated dental procedures, or physical trauma damages this inner pulp, bacteria can multiply inside the tooth, leading to a painful infection or an abscess at the root tip.
A root canal procedure, also known as endodontic therapy, is a conservative treatment designed to clear out this infected pulp, disinfect the microscopic root canals, and seal the interior space. According to clinical guidance from the American Association of Endodontists, saving your natural tooth through endodontic treatment preserves your natural bite, maintains chewing strength, and prevents neighboring teeth from shifting out of alignment. Once the interior is cleaned and sealed, our doctors place a durable restoration over the tooth so it functions just like a healthy natural tooth. To discuss whether you need endodontic care, contact our office at (321) 259-8000.
Who Is A Candidate For Root Canal Therapy?
Root canal therapy is necessary when the nerve deep inside a tooth becomes irreversibly damaged or infected. While severe pain is the most obvious indicator, some infected teeth display subtle symptoms or no pain at all during early stages.
Common signs that you may be a candidate for endodontic treatment include:
- Severe Tooth Pain: Persistent throbbing or sharp pain when biting down or applying pressure to a specific tooth.
- Lingering Temperature Sensitivity: Prolonged discomfort or sharp pain after eating hot foods or drinking cold beverages.
- Swollen Or Tender Gums: Raised bumps, pimple-like sores, or visible swelling along the gum line near the painful tooth.
- Tooth Discoloration: A noticeable darkening or greyish hue in a single tooth caused by internal nerve damage.
- Deep Dental Decay Or Fractures: Visible cracks, chips, or deep cavities that expose the inner pulp to oral bacteria.
During your first visit, our team conducts a thorough examination to determine if endodontic therapy is the best path to save your tooth.
What Is The Root Canal Process Step By Step?
Many patients feel nervous about root canal procedures due to outdated myths, but modern clinical techniques make treatment no more uncomfortable than receiving a standard dental filling. Our team uses high-tech dentistry—including high-resolution digital X-rays and 3D CBCT scans—to map your tooth anatomy with exact precision.
The step-by-step root canal process includes:
- Comfort And Local Numbing: We apply precise local anesthesia to completely numb the tooth and surrounding tissue. For patients who feel anxious, our office provides comfort & IV sedation for a completely peaceful visit.
- Accessing The Pulp Chamber: Our doctors create a small, discreet opening in the top of the tooth to reach the inflamed pulp tissue.
- Cleaning And Disinfecting: Using specialized endodontic instruments, we carefully remove the infected nerve tissue and thoroughly flush the root canals with antibacterial solutions.
- Sealing The Canals: Once the interior is disinfected, we fill the canals with a biocompatible, rubber-like material called gutta-percha and seal the opening to prevent future bacterial reinfection.
- Placing The Final Restoration: Because a tooth without pulp can become brittle over time, we custom-craft durable porcelain crowns to encase and protect the tooth, fully restoring its strength and appearance.
What Are The Main Benefits Of Saving Your Natural Tooth?
Choosing to save your natural tooth with root canal therapy offers significant health, aesthetic, and financial advantages over tooth extraction. While removing a painful tooth might seem like an easy quick fix, extracting a tooth creates a gap that can cause serious long-term bite problems.
Key benefits of endodontic treatment include:
- Natural Chewing Function: Retaining your real tooth root allows you to chew tough, healthy foods naturally without discomfort or awkward biting forces.
- Protection Of Surrounding Teeth: Saving the tooth prevents neighboring teeth from tilting, shifting, or wearing down unevenly over time.
- Preservation Of Jawbone Structure: Keeping the tooth root intact maintains ongoing stimulation to the surrounding bone, helping prevent localized bone loss.
- Cost-Effective Long-Term Solution: According to oral health studies published by the National Institutes of Health, preserving a natural tooth is far more economical over a lifetime than replacing an extracted tooth with bridges or surgical implants.
If you are dealing with gum inflammation around an infected tooth, our periodontists can also evaluate your overall tissue health and provide specialized periodontal treatment.
How Much Does A Root Canal Cost In Melbourne, FL?
Understanding the cost of root canal treatment is an important factor when planning your care. The overall cost of endodontic treatment depends on several clinical variables, such as which tooth is affected—molars have multiple complex root canals and take longer to treat than front teeth—and the severity of the infection.
Public oral health data from the American Dental Association shows that saving a tooth with a root canal and crown is significantly less expensive than extracting the tooth and replacing it with an artificial bridge or implant. At Sheldon & Furtado, PLLC, we prioritize total financial transparency, providing clear cost estimates before treatment begins. Most dental insurance plans provide substantial coverage for root canals as an essential restorative procedure. For out-of-pocket expenses, our office offers flexible payment options and partners with trusted lenders like Cherry financing to split costs into low monthly payments.
Frequently Asked Questions About Root Canal Treatment
No, modern root canal therapy is not painful. With advanced local anesthetics and sedation options, the procedure is very comfortable and actively eliminates the severe pain caused by tooth infection.
Most root canal treatments are completed in a single visit lasting 60 to 90 minutes. If a tooth has multiple complex root canals or severe infection, a second brief appointment may be needed to ensure thorough disinfection.
No, a tooth nerve infection will not heal on its own. Once dental pulp becomes infected, the tissue dies and will continue to spread bacteria into the surrounding jawbone and gums unless treated.
When properly restored with a permanent crown and maintained with good daily brushing, flossing, and regular cleanings, a tooth treated with a root canal can last a lifetime.
How Do You Schedule A Root Canal Consultation In Melbourne, FL?
You do not have to live with severe tooth pain or compromise your natural smile. When you choose Sheldon & Furtado, PLLC, you are partnering with top-rated periodontists near you who have delivered compassionate, high-tech dental care to families in Melbourne, Palm Bay, Viera, Rockledge, Indialantic, Satellite Beach, Cocoa Beach, and Suntree since 1980. Our collaborative doctors combine decades of expertise to relieve pain quickly and preserve your natural teeth.
Take control of your oral health today. To schedule your endodontic evaluation and get fast relief from tooth pain, call our Melbourne periodontist directly at (321) 259-8000.