Let's face it the word Root Canal can you make you cringe and most often the very thought of the simple procedure can bring fear to peoples’ faces. Truthfully, root canals are really misunderstood. Let’s look at the facts
Root Canal truths:
- They don’t hurt. You are numb during the procedure.
- They relieve pain. Teeth that need root canals are painful. When the patient arrives they are often in pain. The root canal treatment relieves this pain and sensitivity.
- Root canals have approximately a 90% success rate.
- The roots of the teeth are not being removed. The canals, inside the root, are cleaned, shaped, sterilized and sealed. When a root canal is completed, the roots are still there, it is the contents of the root that has been removed.
- Root canals save teeth that would have otherwise have been removed
What are the symptoms of an infected tooth?
An infected tooth can become very painful relatively quickly, especially if you don’t take care of it promptly. The usual symptoms of an infected tooth are:
- Inflamed gums
- Tooth soreness while chewing
- Extreme tooth sensitivity to hot and cold temperatures
- Unpleasant breath
- Pus coming from around the tooth
- Painful throbbing in your jaw or mouth, that can come and go.
- Darkening color of the tooth
- A small pimple-like bump on your gum
When do you need a root canal?
- There is an abscess (infection) at the end of the root
- Decay has reached the nerve (pulp) of the tooth
- The nerve is irritated beyond its ability to heal. Symptoms include lingering hot or cold sensitivity and spontaneous pain.
- The pulp of the tooth has died and caused inflammation or swelling.
- If you have any of these symptoms, please call us immediately. It will not get better on its own and usually will hurt at the worst time (like when you are leaving town or on a weekend
What is a root canal?
A root canal is the process of medically removing a seriously injured or diseased tooth. Also known as endodontic treatment, a root canal is the best way to relieve serious pain and make teeth healthy again. In addition to relieving pain, a root canal also helps protect surrounding teeth from excessive wear or strain.
What causes the root of a tooth to become infected?
An untreated cavity or oral injury can cause infection in the tissue and roots of your teeth. If you put off going to the dentist, decay enters the root or pulp and then the tooth becomes infected. This can cause a host of other problems if the infection spreads any further, so be sure to seek treatment.
What are the symptoms of an infected tooth?
An infected tooth can become very painful relatively quickly, especially if you don’t take care of it promptly. The usual symptoms of an infected tooth are:
- Inflamed gums
- Tooth soreness while chewing
- Extreme tooth sensitivity to hot and cold temperatures
- Unpleasant breath
- Pus coming from around the tooth
- Painful throbbing in your jaw or mouth
- Darkening color of the tooth
- A small pimple-like bump on your gum
General steps of root canal therapy
Root canal therapy may involve one or more dental visits. Dr Hamdan will perform the necessary steps to save your tooth:
- Your tooth is numbed for your comfort. A thin, flexible sheet of latex or non-latex material called a rubber dam is placed over your tooth to keep it dry. An opening is made through the crown of the tooth into the pulp chamber.
- Your tooth’s nerve or pulp is removed from the pulp chamber and the canal of each root of the tooth. Each root canal is cleaned, shaped and disinfected so that it can be filled.
- Dr Hamdan may place medicine in the pulp chamber and root canal(s) to help treat the infection depending on your individual circumstance
- The treated root canals are filled with a rubber-like material to seal them.
- A temporary filling is placed in your tooth to prevent infection of the root canals. You may be given antibiotics if the infection has spread beyond the end of the root(s).
- Finally, Dr Hamdan restores the tooth with a crown or a permanent filling to strengthen it and improve the way it looks. If an endodontist performs the procedure, they usually recommend that you return to your general dentist for this step.
