It starts as a mild sensitivity to your morning coffee. Then, it becomes a dull ache while chewing. Eventually, it turns into a throbbing pain that keeps you awake at night. If this sounds familiar, your body is sending you a distress signal. At Vela Dental, we know that the phrase “root canal” often triggers anxiety. It has an unfair reputation from decades ago. But ignoring severe tooth pain won’t make it go away—it often leads to infection, abscesses, and eventually, tooth loss.
Dr. Vela’s philosophy is simple: we want to get you out of pain immediately while preserving your natural smile. Modern root canal therapy is not the scary procedure people joke about; it is a relieve-giving treatment that stops the infection and saves your tooth from extraction. Here is why you shouldn’t wait to make that call.
The Warning Signs: How to Know You Need Help
How do you tell the difference between a temporary toothache and a serious infection? The pulp inside your tooth, which contains nerves and blood vessels, can become inflamed or infected due to deep decay or a crack in the enamel. Once this happens, the nerve sends pain signals that are hard to ignore.
Look out for these common symptoms that suggest you might need endodontic therapy:
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Prolonged Sensitivity: Pain when drinking hot or cold liquids that lingers even after the drink is gone.
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Swollen Gums: Tenderness or a pimple-like bump on the gums near the painful tooth.
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Darkening of the Tooth: Discoloration caused by damage to the internal tissue.
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Pain when biting: Sharp pain when you apply pressure.
If you are experiencing any of these, searching for an emergency dentist in Corpus Christi is the right first step. Delaying treatment allows the infection to spread to the jawbone, making the issue much more complex.
Myth vs. Reality: Does a Root Canal Hurt?
This is the number one question we hear: “Does a root canal hurt?” The honest answer in 2026 is: No, it shouldn’t.
With modern local anesthesia and advanced techniques, getting a root canal feels very similar to getting a standard filling. The pain you are feeling right now comes from the infection, not the treatment. The procedure actually removes the source of the pain (the infected nerve).
At Vela Dental, we prioritize your comfort above all else. For patients who have high anxiety, we offer sedation dentistry options to ensure you remain relaxed and calm throughout the visit. Dr. Vela’s gentle approach focuses on numbing the area completely before we even begin, so you can leave our office feeling relief, not discomfort.
Save vs. Extract: Why Your Natural Tooth is Best
When in pain, some patients ask, “Can’t you just pull it?” While an extraction might seem like the quickest fix, it comes with long-term consequences.
Nothing looks, feels, or functions exactly like your natural tooth. When you remove a tooth, you create a gap that can cause adjacent teeth to shift, affecting your bite and your smile. Furthermore, missing teeth lead to bone loss in the jaw over time.
Root canal therapy allows us to clean out the infection, seal the inner chamber, and cap the tooth with a durable porcelain crown. This restores the tooth to its full function. You can bite into an apple, smile with confidence, and maintain your natural bone structure. Saving your natural tooth is almost always less expensive and less invasive than replacing it later with an implant or bridge.
What to Expect During Your Visit
We believe in transparency. When you come to Vela Dental for this procedure, here is the process:
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Diagnosis: We use digital X-rays to pinpoint the infection.
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Comfort: We apply anesthesia to ensure the tooth is asleep.
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Cleaning: Dr. Vela makes a tiny opening to remove the infected pulp and cleans the canals.
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Sealing: We fill the space with a biocompatible material to prevent future infection.
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Restoration: Finally, we place a crown to protect the tooth and restore its strength.
Don’t let fear dictate your dental health. If you are in pain, we are here to help you heal, not to judge.
