Root canal treatment is often a straightforward procedure to relieve dental pain and save your tooth. Patients typically need a root canal when there is inflammation or infection in the roots of a tooth caused by a pathogen (bacteria).
During root canal treatment, the dentist carefully removes the pulp (nerve) inside of the tooth, cleans, disinfects and shapes the root canals, places a special material to replace what has been removed, and then puts a restoration (filling) on top to seal everything. This process happens over a series of visits to ensure the inflammation has settled down before placing a permanent seal on the tooth being treated.
After the tooth has been stable for a time, we then recommend you have a crown placed on the root treated tooth to give it the best chance of long-term survival.
Some people may tell you they have a bad experience with root canal treatment. This has a little bit to do with science! If a root canal is required due to an infection there can be a clash between the infection and the local anaesthetic used. This is because the local anaesthetic is alkaline, and the infection is acidic. Thus, the infection cancels out the local anaesthetic somewhat making it appear as though it is not working properly. We take the time to carefully assess your tooth when it needs root canal treatment to make sure we use the correct type and amount of local anaesthetic and wait for the appropriate amount of time before starting the procedure.
Come and chat to one of our dentists if you would like to know more about this root canal treatment. If you are experiencing any pain, have a swelling, abscess or infection then please contact us immediately so we can see you as soon as possible.