Root Canal Therapy

For a tooth that is infected, damaged, or decayed, root canal therapy may be the best form of treatment. Root canals are used to save your natural tooth by removing the pulp, nerves, and any bacteria. The space left behind is filled with medicated dental materials that restore the function of the tooth.

The Alternative to Extraction:

• Root canal therapy is highly successful. Many patients believe that the only option for a severely decayed tooth is to remove it.
• The indications for tooth root canal treatment include: sensitivity to hot and cold, severe tooth pain, swelling or tenderness, abscess on the gums, or there may be no symptoms present.
• Reasons for root canal may also include injury or trauma, decay that has reached the pulp, and infection within the tooth.

Root canal therapy will involve more than one appointment

• Our dentist in will perform the root canal therapy or you may be referred to a specialist for very difficult cases.
• At your first visit our root canal dentist will numb the tooth and isolate it using a rubber dam. This keeps the tooth dry from saliva and blood. Once isolated the dentist creates an access to the inside of the tooth, and all of the infected pulp tissue is removed. Once cleaned, the tooth is sealed from further infection by a permanent filling. In some cases it is necessary to place a crown following root canal therapy. This may take several appointments.

Following each visit with our root canal dentists, patients will receive home care instructions for how to care for the tooth that has had root canal treatment. Remember regular dental visits combined with good eating habits and oral hygiene help lengthen the life of the root canal. Following treatment the tooth may be sensitive. This sensitivity will subside with time and as the inflammation diminishes.