What is Root Canal Treatment?
Root canal treatment is a procedure that treats the central part of your tooth. It is called the pulp chamber, and it contains the dental pulp.
The dental pulp includes connective tissues, blood vessels, and nerves. These pulp tissues extend into the root canals in your tooth roots. You need a healthy dental pulp while your tooth develops, but adult teeth can survive perfectly well without a pulp.
Root canal therapy is designed to remove infected and inflamed pulp tissue, relieve painful toothache, and enable us to restore your tooth afterward. It is a great treatment for protecting and preserving infected teeth. The alternative would be tooth extraction, which we always strive to avoid.
When Is Root Canal Treatment Necessary?
You may require root canal therapy if you have a deep, untreated cavity in a tooth. An untreated cavity or a failing filling allows harmful bacteria found in plaque to enter the tooth and infect the dental pulp.
We may also recommend root canal treatment if you have a tooth that is damaged or cracked. Any form of damage to tooth enamel will allow infection causing bacteria to enter your tooth.
If your tooth has suffered trauma like a hard knock or blow, this can be enough to inflame the dental pulp. The inflammation causes the pulp to swell; consequently, your tooth may feel extremely painful.
Recognizing the Signs You May Need a Root Canal
Signs that you need a root canal may include:
- The pain can spread to nearby teeth, your jaws, or facial muscles.
- Sensitivity to hot and cold foods.
- A sensation of pressure in a tooth when you bite down.
- Tooth discoloration as the dental pulp can die, staining the tooth internally.
- A buildup of pus can cause a pimple on the gum closest to the affected tooth.
- The gum around the tooth can be swollen and tender.
- Facial swelling can occur when the infection is especially severe.
A painful tooth signifies something is wrong and requires professional dental care. We strongly recommend scheduling an appointment to see us quickly so we can diagnose the cause of the pain and provide suitable treatment, such as root canal therapy.
If you experience toothache that subsequently disappears, please make an appointment to come and see us. The discomfort may have disappeared because the tooth nerve has died. Unfortunately, any infection will remain and worsen without the proper dental care.
The Procedure for Root Canal Treatment
The procedure for root canal treatment is very straightforward and outlined below.
Examination and Diagnosis
When you visit Clock Tower Dental, we will examine your tooth gently and take digital dental X-rays. These X-rays show us if the tooth is infected and the extent of the infection. We also use these images to plan your treatment since they show the shape and number of root canals that must be cleaned during treatment.
Other diagnostic tests may be used to test your dental pulp to determine if it is infected, inflamed, or has died.
Root Canal Treatment
Local anesthetic ensures you have a pain-free experience during treatment. We isolate the tooth with a rubber dam to keep it dry during treatment. A tiny hole is drilled into your tooth crown so we can see the dental pulp.
Special instruments are used to remove all the pulp tissue and to reshape the root canals in your tooth roots. Our dental office is equipped with a high-powered dental microscope, which enables our dentist to check that all infected and inflamed tissue has been removed thoroughly. Using microscopic dentistry helps ensure better results.
Once all the tissue is removed, we clean and disinfect the pulp chamber and root canals. At this point, we may permanently seal the root canals with gutta-percha, or if you have a severe infection, we may insert topical antibiotics and place a temporary filling.
When we are sure the tooth is infection-free, we can seal it permanently.
Restoring Your Tooth
Generally, a tooth that has received root canal therapy will have lost quite a bit of its original structure. Therefore, we must protect it with a dental crown that covers it completely.
Our dentist will take a detailed dental impression of your tooth using a handheld scanner. The digital scan is sent to our dental lab so your crown can be fabricated according to our prescription. A temporary crown protects your tooth while your permanent crown is being made.
When the permanent crown is ready, you return to our dental office so we can try it in and fit it. The final step is to bond it permanently onto your tooth.
Recovery after Root Canal Therapy
After your root canal, your tooth may feel slightly more sensitive, which is perfectly normal. However, any pain should disappear. Your tooth should feel back to normal within a week. Please get in touch with us if it continues to hurt.
Looking after Your Tooth after Root Canal Therapy
During recovery, you may find eating soft foods more comfortable and avoiding chewing on the root-treated tooth, especially if you have a temporary crown. Continue brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing once a day. You may find it useful to use an antimicrobial mouthwash to help control bacteria.
We can give you more precise instructions on how to look after your mouth following root canal therapy after your treatment.
What Are the Benefits of Root Canal Therapy?
Potential benefits of treatment can include:
- Root canal therapy can save a damaged tooth from removal.
- Treatment gets rid of pain, enabling you to bite and chew normally.
- A tooth receiving root canal therapy can last for years or a lifetime.
Are There Any Risks of Root Canal Therapy?
Risks are low, but there is a possibility that root canal treatment can fail in the future. A tooth that has received root canal therapy can become reinfected.
At this point, we may be able to carry out further treatment to save the tooth. However, we will assess your tooth carefully to see if treatment has a good chance of success.
Further root canal therapy may be more costly and must be carried out by a root canal specialist. If we feel treatment may not be successful, we can discuss other options with you. These may include removing the tooth and providing a dental bridge or dental implant to replace it.
Do You Have Toothache? Please Contact Us
Have you noticed a tooth has felt painful or uncomfortable recently or twinges when you eat anything hot or cold? You may have a tooth infection.
Please get in touch with us so we can diagnose the problem and recommend suitable treatment. Quicker treatment will help eliminate the pain, and there is a greater chance we can fully restore your tooth with root canal therapy.