Root Canal Therapy

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Root Canal Therapy

Our goal is to help you preserve your natural teeth for a lifetime, so you can smile with confidence. If you have been told that a root canal is necessary to save one of your teeth, it is important that you understand why this procedure is necessary and what happens during toot canal treatment.

Root canal treatment

Root canal treatment (endodontics) treats disorders of the nerve (also called the pulp) of the tooth. It used to be that a tooth with a diseased or infected nerve had to be removed. In 95 percent of the cases today, however, this is no longer true. We believe in saving teeth (instead of removing them). We make every effort to help you keep your natural teeth for a lifetime!

The following are the most common factors contributing to a need for root canal treatment:

  • Trauma, such as a physical blow to a tooth or a constant striking of a tooth in the opposite jaw that traumatizes the tooth.
  • Physical irritation caused by a deep decay or a very large filling.
  • Acute gum disease.

We make every effort to help you keep your natural teeth for a lifetime!

Smile for life

Our goal is to help you preserve your natural teeth for a lifetime, so you can smile with confidence. If you have been told that a root canal is necessary to save one of your teeth, it is important that you understand why this procedure is necessary and what happens during root canal treatment.

WHAT CARE FOLLOWS THE TREATMENT?

Once the root canal treatment has been completed, you should consider the following:

1. Brittleness – a non-vital (endodontically treated) tooth is more brittle than a vital one and is more susceptible to fracture. Therefore, in most cases we recommend that your root canal tooth be crowned (capped) following treatment.

2. Discoloration – you may notice that your endodontically treated tooth (especially a front tooth) has undergone a change in color. Though this discoloration is of no medical concern, you may be interested in having the tooth whitened. Be sure to ask us about tooth whitening if we do not decide to place a crown on the tooth.

The Facts About Root Canal Treatment

Root canal treatment (endodontics) treats disorders of the nerve (also called the pulp) of the tooth. It used to be that a tooth with a diseased or infected nerve had to be removed. In 95 percent of the cases today, however, this is no longer true. We believe in saving teeth (instead of removing them). We make every effort to help you keep your natural teeth for a lifetime!

What Makes a Root Canal Necessary?

The following are the most common factors contributing to a need for root canal treatment:

  • Trauma, such as a physical blow to a tooth or a constant striking of a tooth in the opposite jaw that traumatizes the tooth.
  • Physical irritation caused by a deep decay or a very large filling.
  • Severe gum disease.
  • Acute gum disease.

Regardless of the initial cause, the tooth pulp becomes irritated and infected. Bacteria grow within the tooth pulp, causing pressure and pain, sometimes accompanied by swelling of the face. Sometimes the deterioration of the pulp happens so gradually that little pain is felt. Either way, eventually the bacteria can destroy the pulp. As this happens, the bone surrounding the tooth may become infected and abscessed, which may lead to the destruction of the bone surrounding the tooth.

WHAT HAPPENS DURING TREATMENT?

If we determine through x-rays and a clinical examination that root canal treatment is necessary we will schedule your appointment; in a majority of cases, root canals are now done in one visit. It is important that you keep these appointments to prevent delays in treatment and healing, which can affect the outcome. It’s also essential that you take all antibiotics and medications prescribed to hasten healing and reduce swelling.

  1. First, we want to relieve any discomfort you might be experiencing and ensure your comfort throughout the treatment. When necessary, an anesthetic is used to numb the tooth and surrounding area. An opening is made through the crown of the tooth into the pulp.
  2. We carefully remove the diseased pulp. The root canal area inside your tooth is cleaned, enlarged and shaped.
  3. We sterilize the inside of the tooth to remove the bacteria. Throughout the root canal procedure, we take x-rays to ensure that all of the infected pulp is removed and that the walls inside the canal are smooth.
  4. To complete the process, the root canal and pulp chamber are permanently filled and sealed.
  5. Finally, the tooth is fully restored to chewing function.