Root Canal Treatment
Root canal treatment is a predictable option to save your tooth, thereby preventing extraction
Root Canal Treatment
At Glenville Dental, our professional dentists perform root canal procedures to treat teeth that are severely damaged, decaying or have a serious infection. The root canal is the system in your tooth that extends down from the crown, or the top of the tooth, to the root at the very bottom. This system contains nerves and pulp, which is the soft tissue inside your tooth. A root canal procedure involves removing infected or inflamed pulp from the centre of your tooth, cleaning it out and sealing it to stop the infection and preventing abscesses from forming.
There are several signs or symptoms you may experience that indicate if you need a root canal. These include pain when eating or drinking hot or cold food and drink, discomfort biting or chewing, a loose tooth, swelling of your gums, as well as facial swelling, pus oozing from the infected tooth, and the tooth getting darker. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms you should book in an appointment as soon as possible. These infections cannot be effectively fixed by antibiotics alone, so a root canal or tooth extraction are your only options.
Why Choose Glenville Dental For Root Canal Treatment?
At Glenville Dental, we understand how much pain and discomfort an infected tooth can cause, and how daunting a root canal procedure sounds. Our professional dentists go out of their way to make sure you feel as comfortable as possible. You can trust that we will perform the root canal procedure with an expert level of care to avoid any complications, and allow your tooth to heal quickly so you can get back to living life as normal. We want to ensure the future of your oral health. We will help stop infections from spreading and promote strong, healthy teeth and gums, through professional dental treatments and ongoing care.
Root Canal Dental Surgeon
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Benefits of Root Canal Treatment
- Remove pain and discomfort.
- Allow you to bite and chew as normal.
- Better stability of a loose tooth.
- Improved oral health.
What Does a Root Canal Procedure Involve?
Root canal procedures are performed under local anaesthetic, so you will feel no discomfort during the treatment. Initially, we will take dental x-rays to get a good view of the tooth, surrounding bone, and cause of the infection. To prepare the tooth, we will place a thin sheet of rubber on your tooth to keep it dry and clean, and protect it from bacteria that are normally found in mouths.
The root canal procedure then starts with an opening being drilled into the top of your tooth to create access to the pulp. The pulp along with bacteria, the decayed nerve tissue, and debris is cleaned out from the tooth using root canal files. Once everything has been removed, the sides of the root canal are irrigated using water or sodium hypochlorite to flush away the debris. We then fill the root canal with a rubber-like material to seal the tooth and prevent against future infection, and also apply a temporary filling. Some sensitivity after the procedure is normal, and our dentists will sometimes prescribe antibiotics to help aid the healing and stop any more infection spreading. During your follow up visit we will review the tooth to make sure everything is coming along nicely. We will then remove the temporary filling and replace it with a permanent one, or a dental crown to prevent further damage.
Why might you need Root Canal Treatment?
Root Canal treatments are necessary when the pulp in your tooth has become badly infected. The pulp is the soft tissue inside your tooth which contains nerves, blood vessels and provides nourishment for your tooth. When a tooth’s nerve tissue or pulp is damaged, it breaks down and bacteria begins to build up, leading to infection. Infections can be caused by deep cavities, a cracked or fractured tooth, internal injury to the tooth, or repeated dental procedures which disturb the nerve tissue.
Risks of Root Canal Treatment
As with any dental procedure, there are some risks with root canal treatment. Common risks include a mild temporary pain due to the inflamed tissue around the tooth, and your tooth going darker, which can easily be reversed with a whitening procedure. Some patients may also experience a tooth fracture because of the reduced durability of your tooth during the procedure, and a tooth extraction may be required. This risk is reduced when a dental crown is fitted after the root canal treatment.
