Root canal treatment, or endodontic treatment, is a process that disinfects the internal tunnels where your nerve lives in your tooth. Patients typically need root canal treatment when a cavity has gone too deep, or a tooth has sustained severe damage. Most patients realise they need treatment because they will feel tooth sensitivity, swollen gums, or immense pain.
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A damaged or infected tooth may require root canal therapy for numerous reasons. However, some of the most common causes of a dying tooth are mouth trauma, gum disease, deep decay or extensive dental work on a particular tooth.
Other factors that cause infection are the breakdown of a crown or filling, a cracked or chipped tooth, or extreme wear.
Depending on the patient’s pain level, the root canal treatment process will take two or three appointments. The first appointment is the consultation, where the dentist will take x-rays to search for signs of infection. If the patient is in pain and not enough time is available, we will perform an emergency extirpation.
An emergency extirpation involves numbing the tooth and removing the infected nerve/pulp. We administer a local anaesthetic agent and insert medication in the tooth to provide fast relief. We place a temporary filling until your next appointment.
The second stage involves the debridement and shaping of canals. If the patient is not experiencing immense pain, stages one and two are typically done in the same visit. During the visit, we will clean, disinfect, and shape the nerve tunnels using the latest one-file technology. We also place some antibiotic medication inside the nerve system to kill all residual bacteria and place a temporary filling to stop reinfection of the tooth.
Finally, during the third stage, we complete the root canal treatment. We use a water-tight root canal filling material that precisely fits within the root canal system. The entire process consists of the following:
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There are two alternatives to root canal treatment. The first is to remove the tooth. In this case, a dentist will replace the missing tooth with a dental implant, a dental bridge or a denture.
The second option is to leave the tooth untreated. However, leaving the tooth untreated can result in severe infection and lead to other major health issues, like damage to your jawbone, surrounding teeth and even swellings that can threaten the patency of your airway. This option is not recommended at all.
