Root Canal Therapy

What is a root canal treatment?

Your teeth have ‘roots’ that anchor them into your jawbone. Inside each of your teeth there is a mixture of blood vessels and nerves called the pulp. The pulp within the root is called the root canal.

 

Root canal treatment indicated if there is inflammation or infection inside your tooth.

 

Why is root canal treatment needed?

If your tooth is damaged, bacteria can get inside. This causes irritation, pain and swelling in the pulp.

The aim of root canal treatment is to save your tooth by removing the damaged pulp and treating the infection and inflammation.

You may need root canal treatment for a number of reasons, including severe tooth decay; repeated dental treatment on the tooth; cracked tooth or filling; gum disease or trauma to the tooth.

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If the infection isn’t treated, it can spread further and cause an abscess, which is a collection of pus. This can be painful, tender and can cause swelling around your tooth and jaw.

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Why save the tooth?

Patients today have more options than ever before to treat their teeth. Understanding your choices and their impact on your future dental health and lifestyle is important. Saving a natural tooth through root canal treatment should always be the first choice for the best health and cosmetic results. There are many advantages to saving your natural tooth:

• Efficient chewing

• Normal biting force, so you can continue to eat your favourite foods

• Maintains a natural appearance

• Limits the need for more costly, ongoing dental work

 

Teeth with root canal treatments are often heavily broken down and more brittle and your dentist may advise a crown as a long-term restoration rather than a filling. As a crown will protect the tooth from breaking, stops bacteria re-entering, restores shape, function and appearance.

 

Does root canal treatment hurt?

Root canal treatment isn’t painful, it is done to relieve pain. The toothache caused by the damaged pulp is removed, hence relieving the pain. Root canals have been giving a bad reputation for decades ago but with new techniques and anaesthetics it is no more uncomfortable than have a ‘normal’ filling.

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What are the alternatives to root canal treatment?

The alternative to root canal is to remove the tooth completely, as the infection won’t heal on its own. Your dentist will always try and save your natural tooth, but there are situations where the tooth has to be removed as root canal treatment will not be successful.

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What happens during root canal treatment?

Stage 1: Draining the infection – this is first visit. The area will be numbed and a small hole made in the top of the tooth to access the pulp system. This will be disinfected and a medication with a temporary filling will be placed inside the tooth. You will then be seen after the medication has work, normally a week or so later.

 

Stage 2: Cleaning the root canal system with accurate instruments and antibacterial chemicals, with the help of x-ray images. The instruments help to make the canals a more regular shape to enable the tooth to be filled and cleaned more precisely. This stage may take more than one visit if the tooth is heavily infected.

 

Stage 3a: Sealing the root canal system. Once the tooth is clean, your dentist will fill and seal the root canal system.

Stage 3b: Filling and/or crowning the tooth. A permanent filling will then be placed in the tooth to close the hole that has been made. This will likely be followed by a crown in the future to reinforce the tooth. This is generally​

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Is it expensive?

Not only is root canal treatment often the best option for you, it is also an extremely cost-effective way to treat teeth with damaged pulp.

 

Indeed it is usually less expensive than extraction and placement of a bridge or an implant.

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What is the success rate?

Root canal treatment also has a very high success rate, with many root canal treated teeth lasting a full lifetime after the procedure.