When decay or a crack reaches the nerve inside a tooth, the tissue becomes infected and the tooth starts to hurt. A root canal clears that infection out so the tooth can stay in your mouth instead of coming out of it.
General dentistry
The reputation is worse than the appointment. With modern anesthetic, a root canal feels much like having a deep filling done. Most patients tell us afterward that the pain that brought them in was far worse than the treatment that fixed it.
Inside each tooth is a chamber of soft tissue that runs down through the roots. Once bacteria reach it, that tissue cannot heal on its own. We open the tooth, clean and shape the canals, disinfect them, and seal them with a filling material. The tooth stays, and the infection is gone.
A tooth that has had a root canal is more brittle than it was, because it has lost its blood supply and a good amount of internal structure. Most back teeth need a crown afterward to keep them from fracturing. We will explain whether yours does before we start.
Step by step
Testing and an image confirm the nerve is involved and show the shape and number of canals.
The tooth and surrounding tissue are fully anesthetized before anything begins.
A small opening in the top of the tooth gives access. The infected tissue is removed and the canals are cleaned and shaped.
The canals are disinfected, then filled and sealed so bacteria cannot re-enter.
The opening is filled, and in most back teeth a crown is placed to protect the tooth from fracture.
Worth knowing
Nerve inflammation often gets worse when you lie down. Throbbing pain at night is one of the clearest signals.
If a sip of something cold sets off pain that keeps going after you swallow, the nerve is likely damaged.
A bump near the root of a tooth is infection finding a way out. It may drain and feel better, but the infection is still there.
Common questions
The treatment itself should not. You will be fully numb. Some tenderness for a few days afterward is normal and usually manageable with over the counter pain relief.
You can, but nothing replaces your own tooth as well as your own tooth. Extraction leads to bone loss and shifting neighbors, and replacing it later costs more than saving it now.
A treated back tooth has lost internal structure and its blood supply, which makes it brittle. A crown holds it together under chewing forces.
New patients welcome
We want to help you keep your teeth healthy for a lifetime. Contact us today and we will find a convenient time.