Root Canal
Root Canal Treatment
We will always endeavour to save your teeth rather than remove them, because natural teeth are best. The loss of even one tooth can have a detrimental effect on your mouth and can lead to your other teeth drifting into the gap, which can cause problems with your bite.
Root Canal Therapy
- Painless and effective repair of teeth with infected pulp and nerves
- Saves teeth and protects them from further damage
- Expert care from our experienced team
Why have root canal treatment?
One of the ways we can prevent the loss of a tooth is when root canal treatment (also called Endodontics) is needed when the pulp inside your tooth becomes infected through tooth decay or damaged by an injury to your mouth. This infection may spread through the root canal system, which could eventually lead to an abscess, causing a great deal of discomfort. If root canal treatment is not carried out, the tooth may need to be taken out.
- Can save an infected tooth from loss
- Removes infection that could spread to other areas
- Prevents further problems that could be caused by losing a tooth
- Can relieve toothache
- Less expensive than replacing a lost tooth
Your root canal treatment
An opening is made in the tooth and the infected tissue is removed and the canals cleaned
The canals are then filled with a permanent material
The opening is then sealed with a filling and the tooth is restored
The tooth will will need to be restored with a permanent restoration: filling, crown or onlay
Frequently Asked Questions
A Root canal treatment can take between 1-5 and 2 hours depending on the case
When the nerve and blood vessels in the tooth (dental pulp) are inflamed and degenerated. This is usually accompanied by pain.
The tooth can become infected due to decay, a deep filling or trauma. Symptoms can include pain, increased sensitivity to temperature, discolouration, a metallic taste, gum tenderness or swelling and become very painful for you.
You may risk losing the tooth and have more discomfort then the tooth has to be extracted. Even though you may not have any symptoms at the time, failure to eradicate infection may lead to sudden formation of a painful abscess and/or spread of the infection which may be more difficult to treat and take longer to heal.
A Careful assessment is required it may better for you to have the tooth extracted and possibly replaced with either an implant or a bridge. The decision is not always clear cut and may depend on a number of factors – clinical, financial and emotive.
Local anaesthetic is used at every stage of the procedure to ensure your comfort. Following treatment, the tooth may feel a little tender for a few days, but this can be normally controlled with the same medication that you might use for a headache. You will be advised of the need for medication at the end of the appointment.
Root canal treatment and re-treatment have a success rate in excess of 95%. With the use of a high-powered operating microscope and other modern techniques, our treatments are very predictable. It should however be remembered that it is impossible to guarantee the success of any medical procedure. Even with the best treatment, healing may not occur due to circumstances beyond the control of the dentist. Should this occur, further steps may be required to eradicate the infection.
You will usually need a crown on the treated tooth. It is essential that you return to your dentist so that the tooth can be properly restored. You may need to have a crown fitted on a back tooth to prevent fracture. Until it is fitted you should take care not to bite too hard on the tooth.