Root Canal
Root canal treatment is a straightforward procedure to relieve dental pain and save your natural teeth. Patients usually need an endodontic treatment when there is an inflammation or infection in the roots of a tooth (the pulp). At the time of root canal treatment, an endodontist will carefully remove the pulp. The endodontist will then clean and disinfect the pulp chamber and shape the root canals. As a final step the endodontist will places a filling to seal the space.
So you’ve been told that you need a root canal
No need to panic! Technology has come a long way and modern endodontic treatment when done by an endodontist is a quick, comfortable experience that’s comparable to a routine dental filling. Millions of teeth are saved each year with endodontic treatment, allowing our patients to protect and maintain their natural dentition, function and aesthetics.
When Do You Need a Root Canal Treatment?
Some of the signs to look for that may indicate a need for a root canal treatment include, tenderness to touch or chewing, prolonged sensitivity to cold or heat, swelling, drainage, tenderness in the lymph nodes, tooth discoloration, and tenderness in the nearby bone and gum tissues. Sometimes, however, you may not experience any of the above but a endodontic treatment is still indicated.
Root Canal Treatment
Endodontic treatment is usually preformed in one appointment but may involve a second dental visits. Your endodontist will inform you if second appointment is necessary at your initial appointment. Endodontist will perform fallowing steps to save your tooth:
- Your endodontist will numb your tooth for your comfort. During the procedure you will not feel any discomfort or pain. A thin, flexible sheet of latex or non-latex material called a rubber dam is placed over your tooth to keep it dry and to prevent infection from reentering the tooth. A small opening is made through the crown of the tooth into the pulp chamber.
- Your tooth’s pulp or nerve 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. Your endodontist may place medicine in the pulp chamber and root canal(s) to help treat the infection.
- The treated root canals are sealed with rubber-like material called Gutta Percha.
- 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).
- Endodontist will refer you back to your family dentist for final restoration. Your family dentist removes the temporary filling and restores the tooth with a crown or a permanent filling to strengthen it and improve the way it looks.
Root canal treatment is noninvasive and has a short recovery time, easily managed with analgesics prescribed by us, your endodontists. This procedure does not cause pain, it is done to relieve it!
Root Canal Treatment Educational Video
How much does a root canal cost?
The cost associated with this procedure can vary depending on factors such as the severity of damage to the affected tooth and which tooth is affected. In general, endodontic treatment is much less expensive than tooth extraction and replacement with a dental implant.
Tooth Anatomy
Inside each tooth, underneath the hard white enamel layer, you will find a layer of dentin which is slightly porous and not as hard as the enamel. In the center of the tooth is a chamber that runs through the entire tooth as well as its roots. That chamber and canals hold the soft tissue called the pulp. The pulp contains the blood, nerve and lymph supply that was used to grow the roots of the tooth during tooth development. In a mature, fully developed tooth, the pulp tissue can be removed while the tooth remains fully functional, as at this stage it is nourished by the connective tissue surrounding the roots.
We hope that our website helps answer your questions regarding endodontic dental care. However, please feel free to contact us if something is left unclear Lutherville-Timonium 410-821-5553, Bel Air Office 410-836-7800.