Root Canal Treatment

BEFORE THE TREATMENT

• Teeth are made up of crowns and roots.
• The crown is visible in the mouth and the root is situated below the gum anchoring the tooth to the bone.
• Within every root runs a root canal carrying the nerve and small blood vessels known as the dental pulp.
• The pulp of the tooth can become inflamed due to decay, leaking fillings or trauma.
• The inflammation is caused by bacteria and this can lead to infection. One of the first signs of infection can be sensitivity to hot and cold stimuli but sometimes the infection cause no symptoms.
• The pulp will eventually die and the bacteria can cause an infection in the root canal and affect the bone.
• When closing your teeth the effected tooth will feel high and painful to bite upon.
• The infection can often be detected on x-ray.

WHAT WE DO

• The infected pulp can cause pain and to save the tooth it must be removed.
• All the canals (numbers can vary from tooth to tooth) must be cleaned out and then filled with a root canal filling.
• In order to have control over the procedure and the eventual outcome, the dentist must take several x-rays.

WHAT YOUR DENTIST MAY NEED TO DO AFTER THE TREATMENT WITH OURSELVES.

In order for the tooth to function properly, again it must be filled with a standard filling or sometimes if very little of the tooth remains, it may be necessary to make a crown (cap) for the tooth.