Root Canal Therapy
Root Canal Treatment (endodontics) treats disorders/infections of the nerve, which is also called the pulp of the tooth. It used to be that a tooth with an infected nerve had to be removed. Today we believe in keeping your natural teeth instead of removing them.
What Happens During Root Canal Treatment?
If we determine through x-rays and a clinical examination that root canal treatment is necessary, we will schedule a series of appointments for you. It is important that you keep these appointments to prevent delays in treatment and healing, which can affect the outcome.
First, we want to relive any discomfort you might be experiencing. Your dentist will numb the tooth and surrounding area. The tooth may be isolated using a rubber dam, which confines the treatment area and protects the mouth from bacteria and chemical agents. An opening is made through the crown of the tooth into the pulp. When the root pulp is affected, the root can become abscessed causing swelling and pain.
We carefully remove the affected pulp. The root canal area inside your tooth is cleaned, enlarged and shaped. Medication is placed in the canal followed by a temporary filling.
At your next appointment, we sterilise the inside of the tooth to remove the bacteria. Throughout the root canal procedure we take x-rays to endure that all of the infected pulp is removed and that the walls inside the canals are smooth.
To complete the process, the root canal and pulp chamber are permanently filled and sealed with a permanent filling.
What Care Follows the Treatment?
Once the root canal treatment has been completed, you should consider the following:
Brittleness - after root canal treatment, the tooth is more brittle that a normal tooth and therefore has a higher risk to crack or fracture. In most cases, we recommend that your root canal tooth be crowned (capped) after treatment.
Discoloration - you may notice that your root canal treated tooth (especially if it is a front tooth) has a change in colour. Though this discolouration is no medical concern, you may be interested in having the tooth whitened or crown (veneered for a front tooth).