Root Canals
What is a root canal?
A root canal (endodontic therapy) is a dental treatment for infections in tooth pulp, the innermost layer of your teeth.
Why would I need a root canal?
You may need a root canal if bacteria inside your mouth invade the pulp inside your tooth and cause inflammation (pulpitis). Your tooth pulp may come under bacterial attack if:
You have a deep cavity that needs treatment.
You have a cracked or damaged tooth, and bacteria from plaque infects your tooth pulp.
What are signs I may need a root canal?
If you have an infected tooth, you may need root canal treatment to clear out the infection. You can have infected teeth without symptoms. When you have symptoms, they may include:
Tooth pain that doesn’t go away. Lots of things make your teeth hurt. But pain that’s deep in a tooth or that spreads to your jaw, face or other teeth may mean you have an infection.
Pressure hurts. If your tooth hurts when you eat or touch it, it may mean something damaged the nerves around your tooth pulp.
Swollen gums. If you have an infected tooth, your gums may swell or feel tender.
Pimple on your gums. Infected teeth can create pimples or boils on your gums that ooze smelly pus.
Swollen jaw. Your jaw may swell from pus that doesn’t drain away from your infected tooth.
Discolored tooth. Tooth pulp infection keeps blood from getting to your tooth. That makes your tooth turn dark.
Loose tooth. Pus from infected tooth pulp can soften the bones supporting your tooth, making your tooth feel loose.
Procedure Details
What happens during root canals?
Before beginning treatment, we will take dental X-rays of the affected tooth. They may do other tests to determine if your tooth pulp is dead, infected or inflamed and confirm that you’ll need a root canal. We may:
Gently tap on your tooth or touch it with a cold or hot substance to check for sensitivity or discomfort.
Do an electric pulp test (EPT) by using a device that sends a gradually increasing electric current through your tooth to see if your tooth pulp reacts.
Check for signs of swelling in the gums and bone around your tooth.
Ask if it hurts when you bite down on your tooth.
During root canal treatment, we removes the inflamed pulp. Then we clean and disinfect the inside of your tooth and place a filling on your tooth to seal the space.
Root canal treatment steps:
We inject anesthesia to numb your infected tooth and nearby gum. Next, we place a thin, flexible piece of rubber over your infected tooth and nearby gums. This is a dental dam that keeps your tooth dry during treatment.
They drill a tiny hole in your tooth’s crown so they can get to your tooth pulp.
Then, we use tiny dental instruments to remove nerves, blood vessels and tissues inside your tooth pulp.
After clearing out pulp, your provider cleans and disinfects your pulp chamber and root canals.
Next, we fill the empty pulp chamber and root canals with a flexible, rubbery dental material called gutta-percha.
We seal your tooth with a temporary dental filling. The seal keeps bacteria from getting into your tooth.
In the last step, we place a dental crown on your treated tooth. Dental crowns protect your teeth and restore your bite — the way your teeth fit together when you bite down. Dental crowns are typically made to order, so it may be two or three weeks before this last step happens.
Typically, you’ll have two more appointments so a provider can prepare your tooth for a dental crown and then place the crown on your tooth.
To schedule your appointment, call our office at 805-278-1212