Root Canal

Endodontic Therapy

Root canal treatment can save a tooth from decay, infection, damaged pulp and pain.

An ideal candidate for root canal treatment would have a tooth which is decayed, infected or with serious damage to the pulp. The tooth would also be causing a lot of pain and discomfort.

After the treatment, you can expect a couple of days or even longer of soreness, depending on the severity of the infection. You will be prescribed antibiotics to reduce the infection and pus before the follow-up treatment the following week.

In preparation for root canal treatment, your dentist will take an x-ray to view the shape of the root canals to diagnose any signs of infection in a surrounding bone.

In addition to x-rays, your dentist may conduct preliminary treatment of the tooth by removing all of the infected pulp of the tooth and applying a dressing and temporary filling. Your dentist may also remove just the coronal portion of the dental pulp containing much of the nerve tissue, while leaving the canals’ pulp undisturbed.

Local anesthesia

More than 95 percent of root canal treatments are successful. However, occasionally, new treatment needs to be conducted, either because the diseased canal offshoots were unnoticed or the canal filing instrument was fractured. It is possible that the root canal treatment fails completely, and you will experience pain. There is, of course, also the chance of infection

After completing the root canal, you should protect the tooth with a crown or with time, the tooth will probably fracture. Many patients believe that once a tooth has had root canal treatment, it cannot become decayed, however, that is certainly untrue. Proper home care after treatment should include sufficient fluoride.

Additionally, it is advised to have regular X-rays taken of the root canal to ensure that the tooth is not suffering from any more complications.

USD 92-369