Treatments
Root Canal
A root canal is a procedure used to treat severely decayed or infected teeth.
About This Treatment
A root canal is a procedure used to treat severely decayed or infected teeth.
Teeth requiring root canal therapy can have deep cavity, traumatic injury, be cracked, chipped or had a new crown or filling that is large.
Patient’s symptoms may include one or more of the following:
- Increased sensitivity or pain to hot and or cold
- spontaneous pain
- pain to pressure or biting
- dull ache
- sharp shooting pain
- facial swelling.
What to expect during a root canal treatment?
If you have any of the symptoms listed, you will likely need a root canal treatment.
During root canal treatment the nerve of the tooth is removed leaving the tooth in the mouth in function.
The nerve of the tooth is contained in the core of the tooth extending through canals ( hence the term root canal). If this nerve gets infected , pain is then felt.
If an infection is left untreated, it can travel throughout the tooth and cause a painful abscess.
Once a root canal treatment is completed, most of the time the teeth need to be protected by a crown or an onlay.
At A Glance
Treatment Time
2 hours
Result
removes pain and infection within the roots of a tooth
Downtime
None
Contraindications
Mobile tooth, fractured tooth, severe infection and decay
Dr. Germain is the best dentist that I have ever been to and I would highly recommend her! I initially went as I had significant pain in my tooth. She is so smart and was able to provide instant pain relief without having to go through a root canal. I ended up deciding to get Invisalign through her as well and I am so glad that I did. I was anxious about the process at first, but she was there to help me every step of the way. I am almost done with my Invisalign treatment and it could not have been a better experience. Thanks so much for everything, Dr. Germain!
- What to Expect on The Day
Step 1: the tooth is fully numbed so that the treatment is carried out comfortably.
Step 2: The tooth is then isolated with a sheet called rubber dam to ensure that the area is kept as sterile as possible. This will help prevent from new bacteria contamination of
Step 3: The root canals are located within the tooth. They are then cleaned using modern flexible titanium rotary files. Root canal files are only ever used once in our office. The canales are thoroughly cleaned with disinfectants.
Step 4: The canals of the root are filled with a rubbery like material to prevent new infections to occur. The tooth is then filled with a white filling core material.
- How do I know I need a root canal?
If you experience or see any of the following:
- severe or spontaneous pain
- sensitivity with hot or cold food and drink
- pain when biting down or chewing
- swelling in the gums
- teeth discoloration
- gum sensitivity
- pus or abscess present
- swelling and tenderness in the jaw lymph nodes
- bad breath that doesn’t go away
- Will I have pain after the root canal?
While severe pain after a root canal isn’t common, it is common to experience a bit of discomfort in the treated area. Soreness and tenderness can be felt while the body heals.
It generally takes a few days to recover from a root canal. Any pain that persists can be a sign of a problem.
Also know that even if the dentist has removed the nerve root from the tooth, there are still small nerves in the ligaments and tissue surrounding the tooth. When this area is inflamed, such as after a dental procedure, these nerve endings can also register discomfort.
- What is a root canal re-treatment?
A root canal can fail even after many years. Continuous symptoms, or a new abscess formation can lead to the need to redo the root canal treatment.
Failure can occur for a variety of reasons including difficult or curved canals, complicated tooth anatomy or if the tooth was not covered with a crown or an onlay as soon as possible after the root canal treatment was complete.
Failure can also occur If there is further tooth decay occir, if the crown placed on the root canal tooth becomes defective. If the tooth is not protected with an onlay or a crown it can also cause fracture of the tooth. However, even if looked after well, root canal treated teeth can still fail. If this happens, further re-root canal treatment may be necessary.
