What is root canal therapy?
Root Canal Dentist therapy is a treatment done by a dentist to ensure the tooth will not cause anymore pain. The procedures involves removing the damaged or infected nerve of the tooth and then replacing it with biocompatible dental material to help stop reinfection of 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
Root Canal Dentist Therapy Procedures.
The procedure of root canal therapy is broken into roughly three parts:
- Initial pulp extirpation
- Mechanical preparation
- Obturation or filling of 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. The dentist will administer a local anesthetic to ensure no discomfort in the dental procedure. The tooth will be accessed from the top down using a dental drill, and a system of files is used to clean in side the canal system. After irrigating and drying of canal the dentist will place a antibiotic medication inside tooth with a temporary filling. This will give the patient pain free period anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months. However, this will vary depending on how much infection was in the tooth.
Draining of abscess
If the tooth has substantial amount of abscess or pus inside the bone and gum. The dentist may decide to leave the access hole to open and allow the abscess to drain out. They will decide to have the patient come back in a few days time to close the tooth back up with medication and temporary filling once pain and swelling has subsided.
Mechanical perpetration
Once the tooth has settled and cause patient no more pain the dentist will start the next stage if root canal therapy. The stage is simply the cleaning of canal system so that it is free of infection and bacteria.
The dentist would start with anesthetizing the patient’s tooth. A sheet of rubber is then used with a special metal clip to keep the tooth isolated from saliva and also help prevent debris going down patients mouth. The tooth is opened up and an initial file is placed inside to help determine the length of the canal system. Depending on the dentist the length can be verified either by x-ray or an electronic equipment called Apex Locator.
A series of files will be used going from thin/fine to thick/wide. Depending on the which tooth the dentist is working on there maybe one canal as is the case for front teeth to two for premolars and even 4 to 5 for the back molar teeth. When cleaning the canals the dentist will be using an electronic motor with a file attached to help remove the infected material. The canals will also be sterilized with a special antibacterial solution. After that the canals will be dried.
Often if the dentist have time the next stage in the root canal therapy procedures can be completed and this is the filling or the obturation stage.
Obturation of the root canal
The dentist will place a correct size filler to match the canal that will be filled in obturation stage. The dentist often will double check the position and length with an x-ray. He will them 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 soften to fit around all shapes of canals.
Once the canal is all filled the dentist will begin filling up the tooth access hole or rebuilding parts of missing tooth structure. Often 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 that identify when root canal treatment might be required include:
- Tooth decay
- Severe tooth pain when applying pressure to the tooth or when chewing
- Spontaneous tooth pain
- Sensitivity to varying temperatures
- Tooth discoloration or darkening
- Swelling of the gum surrounding a particular tooth
Please note: not all tooth pain can be assumed for root canal treatment. 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-ray’s, will help identify if Root Canal Therapy will be recommended.
Book an Appointment for a Root Canal Examination & Treatment
Come into one of our clinics so that we can provide a thorough examination on 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