Root Canal Treatment

Endodontics is a dental specialty that treats teeth with diseased pulp and affected supporting bone and tries to save the teeth for a normal lifetime of use. It usually consists of the removal of the pulp, disinfection of the root canals, and finally filling the root canals. Endodontic treatment may take one or more visits.

Root canal therapy becomes necessary when the dental pulp or nerve becomes diseased. You may have a diseased pulp due to decay under old restorations or a deep cavity approaching the pulp. It may be due to an injury, such as a blow, or it may be caused by several other reasons that can cause irritation, leading to inflammation and a damaged pulp.

It is advisable to remove the diseased pulp of a tooth since it can become infected. If this occurs, it may become acute, causing severe pain or swelling. Root canal therapy attempts to remove any source of infection from within the root. Once this is done, your normal body healing mechanism will usually take care of the tissues around the tooth so that any irritation of the bone and gum surrounding the affected root may be resolved and replaced by healthy tissues.

The pulp is responsible for most of the early growth and development of the tooth. Once this phase is completed early in your life, the pulp may be removed with the expectation that the tooth will remain functional as long as any other tooth. This is because the tissues that surround the root are quite adequate to support the nutritional requirements of a fully developed tooth under all normal circumstances. Therefore, since endodontics removes only the pulp, the treated tooth can still function normally. It is never a dead tooth; it is merely pulpless.

We have found that endodontic treatment can be a painless experience. We generally give an injection of local anesthetic for each treatment, and analgesia (“sweet air”) may be used.

When root canal therapy is completed, you must return to your general dentist for a permanent tooth restoration. This should be done as soon as possible after completion of treatment. Based on years of experience, your dentist can best decide what type of permanent restoration (filling, inlay, or crown) is necessary to protect your tooth.