Root canals are an option to save a tooth that is severely infected or decayed. It is like a filling in the root of the tooth and for the patient it feels just like having a filling done for a cavity. It just takes longer and there are a couple of pictures taken.
If your tooth’s nerve becomes infected, root canal treatment is the only way to save your tooth.
Inside a tooth’s hard outer shell is a nourishing pulp of blood vessels, lymph vessels and nerves. The canals, which contain the pulp, extend to the bone.
Indications a tooth may require root canal therapy
- Spontaneous pain or throbbing while biting
- Swelling
- Severe decay or injury
- Pain and discomfort
- Drainage
Deep tooth decay, or an injury, can cause the nerve to become inflamed and therefore need to be removed from the tooth. Root canal, or endodontic, treatment is how this is done. The inside of the tooth is cleaned out, medicated and sealed.
Beussink Family Dentistry can normally do all of this in one appointment.
After the root canal has been completed, the tooth will need to be restored with a buildup and crown which allows for more retention.
