Root Canal Dentist

What is root canal therapy?

Root Canal therapy is a dental treatment done by a dentist to ensure the tooth will not cause any more pain. The procedure involves removing the damaged or infected nerve of the tooth and then replacing it with biocompatible dental material to help stop the reinfection of the tooth.

Immediate root canal treatment can help save your natural tooth from extraction.

Some of the causes of a toothache that will lead to the dentist needing to take out the nerve include:

• Cracked or fractured tooth
• Decayed teeth with big cavity
• Dead nerve or abscesses
• Large fillings and crowns in tooth
• Trauma to tooth

What is a Dental Abscess?

A bacterial infection causes a tooth or gum abscess, and a periapical spot occurs at the end of the tooth root. While in comparison, a periodontal abscess occurs on the gums beside the tooth root. Dentists can treat this by draining and removing the infection. The treatment process is known as root canal therapy.

An untreated dental cavity or injury can cause a periapical tooth abscess.

Root Canal Dentist Procedures

Root canal treatment can be separated into three parts:

1. Initial pulp extirpation
2. Mechanical preparation
3. Obturation or filling of the canal system.

Initial pulp extirpation

After diagnosing the cause of the toothache, the dentist will proceed to remove the nerve and infected tissue inside the tooth.

Dentists will administer a local anesthetic to ensure no discomfort in the dental procedure.

Accessing the tooth will be made from the top down using a dental drill. Cleaning the canal is performed using a system of files.

After rinsing and drying the canal, the dentist will place an antibiotic medication inside the tooth with a temporary filling. As a result, it provides the patient with a pain-free period of 2 weeks to 2 months. However, this will vary depending on how much infection was in the tooth.

Draining of abscess

Suppose the tooth has a substantial abscess or pus inside the bone and gum; your dentist may decide to leave the access hole open. In doing so, this allows the abscess to drain out.

Patients will be required to return for another appointment to close the tooth back up with medication and temporary filling once pain and swelling have subsided.

Mechanical perpetration of root canal therapy

Once the tooth has settled and caused the patient no more pain, the dentist will start the next stage of root canal therapy.

The following phase is cleaning the canal system to free it from infection and bacteria.

The dentist would start by anaesthetising the patient’s tooth.

A sheet of rubber is then used with a unique metal clip to keep the tooth isolated from saliva and help prevent debris from going down the patient’s mouth.

As the tooth opens, a file is inserted inside to help determine the length of the canal system. Depending on the treatment procedure, the size of the system is corroborated either by x-ray or electronic equipment called Apex Locator.

Dentists use a range of files from thin/fine to thick/wide during this operation.

Teeth have differing canal systems;

• Front teeth have one
• Two for premolars
• 4 to 5 on rear molar teeth

When cleaning the canals, the dentist will be using an electronic motor with a file attached to help remove the infected material. After this procedure, dentists will dry the canal system and sterilise it with a unique antibacterial solution.

The following stage in root canal therapy is the filling or the obturation stage.

Obturation of the root canal

The dentist will place a correct size filler to match the canal filled in the obturation stage. The dentist often will double check the position and length with an x-ray. He will then proceed to fill the whole canal system with this filler which is called Gutter Percha. It is a rubbery bio-compatible material that can be heated and softened to fit around all shapes of canals.

Upon completing this phase, the dentist will begin filling up the tooth access hole or rebuilding parts of the missing tooth structure. The best long-term solution is to have a crown constructed for the heavily broken down tooth.

What Are the Signs That Root Canal Therapy Is Needed?

There might be several reasons that could be causing severe pain in your tooth. Symptoms of root canal issues are connected to the following:

• Tooth decay
• Severe tooth pain when applying pressure to the tooth or when chewing
• Spontaneous tooth pain
• Sensitivity to varying temperatures
• Tooth discolouration or darkening
• Swelling of the gum surrounding a particular tooth

Please note: that not all tooth pain can is related to root canal infection. If you’re suffering from frequent or random tooth pain, it’s essential to book a consult and discuss this with your dentist. Proper dental examination and x-rays will help identify if Root Canal Therapy is an appropriate treatment.

Contact a dentist near me.

Come into one of our clinics so that we can provide a thorough examination of what you require for your root canal. Visit an Amazing Smiles clinic near you Root Canal Dentist Gold Coast, Logan, Jimboomba, Strathpine, Wynnum

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Date: 29 Mar, 2018