If you have been told you need a root canal, or you have the kind of toothache that keeps you up at night, take a breath. A root canal is not the ordeal its reputation suggests. It is the treatment that ends the pain, clears the infection, and saves your natural tooth. At New Street Dental in Bethlehem, Dr. Tunney performs root canal treatment in-house, often the same day when the schedule permits, so you do not have to be referred across town while your tooth throbs.
Call (610) 867-7112 if you are in pain now. We hold same-day appointments for emergencies.
Do I Need a Root Canal? The Warning Signs
A root canal becomes necessary when decay or a crack lets bacteria reach the soft pulp inside your tooth. Once that inner tissue is infected, no amount of brushing or waiting fixes it. Watch for:
- A persistent toothache, especially deep inside one tooth
- Lingering sensitivity to hot or cold that stays after the drink is gone
- Pain when you bite down or chew
- Swelling, tenderness, or a pimple-like sore on the gums near one tooth
- A tooth that has turned dark or gray from the inside
- A tooth that feels loose
Here is the tricky part: sometimes an infected tooth causes no symptoms at all, and we only spot it on an X-ray. That is one more reason regular exams matter. If any of these signs sound familiar, do not wait it out. Infection in a tooth does not heal on its own; it spreads.
Does a Root Canal Hurt? Honestly, No.
This is the question everyone actually wants to ask, so let us answer it plainly. With modern local anesthesia and Dr. Tunney’s gentle technique, most patients feel nothing more than slight pressure during treatment. The pain people associate with root canals is the toothache before treatment, not the procedure itself. A root canal does not cause your pain; it ends it.
Many of our patients are surprised the appointment felt no different from getting a filling. And if dental visits make you anxious in general, tell us. Calm, pressure-free care is what our Bethlehem patients know us for. We explain each step, move at your pace, and check in with you throughout.
What Happens During Root Canal Treatment
Knowing what will happen takes away most of the fear. Here is the whole process:
- Numbing. Dr. Tunney thoroughly numbs the tooth and surrounding area with local anesthesia before anything else happens.
- Cleaning out the infection. Through a small opening in the tooth, he removes the infected pulp, nerves, and bacteria, then carefully cleans and disinfects the root canals.
- Sealing. The canals are filled with a rubbery material called gutta percha, which seals them against future infection, and the tooth gets a temporary filling.
- Protecting the tooth. A few weeks later, you return for a custom porcelain crown, matched to the shape and color of your other teeth. The crown protects the treated tooth so it can keep chewing for years, often for life.
Our instant digital X-rays (taken with a very low radiation Nomad 2 Pro unit) and chairside cameras mean you can see exactly what we see, before and after. For aftercare, we give you simple written instructions; you can preview them on our root canal post-op page.
Why Save the Tooth Instead of Pulling It?
When a tooth hurts badly enough, “just pull it” can sound tempting. But nothing we can make is quite as good as the tooth you grew. Keeping your natural tooth protects your bite, keeps neighboring teeth from drifting, and avoids the extra cost of replacing a missing tooth later with a bridge or dental implant.
That said, a tooth cannot always be saved. If a crack runs below the gumline or splits the root, extraction may be the honest answer, and Dr. Tunney will tell you so directly. He is conservative in his recommendations and will never sell you treatment you do not need. If a tooth does have to go, we handle gentle extractions in the same office and will walk you through every replacement option.
Cracked Teeth: Which Cracks Need a Root Canal?
Not every crack is a crisis, and the right treatment depends on where the crack goes:
- Craze lines. Tiny surface lines in the enamel. Cosmetic only; no treatment needed unless you want to improve the look.
- Cracked tooth. The crack reaches the inner pulp but not the root. Root canal treatment usually saves the tooth.
- Split tooth or vertical root fracture. When a crack involves the root, the tooth usually cannot be saved, and extraction with a replacement plan is the likely path.
If you feel a sharp pain when biting that disappears quickly, that is a classic cracked-tooth symptom. Have it looked at soon; cracks only travel one direction.
What Does a Root Canal Cost in Bethlehem?
The cost of a root canal depends on which tooth is involved (molars have more canals than front teeth) and whether a crown is needed afterward, which it usually is. We will not quote a number until we have seen your X-ray, because guessing helps no one. What we can promise:
- A clear, written, same-day insurance estimate before any treatment starts. No surprise bills.
- We accept most major dental plans, including Aetna, Blue Cross Dental, Cigna, Concordia, Delta Dental, Guardian, and MetLife, and most plans cover a medically necessary root canal at least in part.
- If you are uninsured or facing a gap, we work with third-party financing companies that break treatment into monthly payments.
Worth knowing: a root canal plus crown is almost always less expensive than extracting the tooth and replacing it properly with an implant or bridge. Saving the tooth is usually the budget-friendly choice too.
Serving Bethlehem and the Lehigh Valley
New Street Dental is located at 920 N New Street in the heart of Bethlehem, with easy parking. Patients come to us for root canal treatment from across the Lehigh Valley, including Bethlehem Township, Fountain Hill, Freemansburg, Hellertown, Catasauqua, Center Valley, Nazareth, and Allentown.