PROCEDURES

Root Canal Therapy

What is a root canal?

Simply defined, a root canal is removal of the dental pulp, and placement of an innert material inside the root canal space. Root canal treatment, when indicated, can save your natural teeth.

At the center of your tooth is the dental pulp. The dental pulp is composed of connective tissue, blood vessels, nerves, and lymphatics. Infection of the pulp can be caused by dental decay (caries), trauma, cracks and fractures, or repeated dental procedures. Symptoms of irreversible pulpal inflammation or pulpal death can be identified by spontaneous pain, pain during consumption of cold or hot beverages, pain to biting, pain to palpation, swelling, and or drainage. Sometimes the pulp can die silently, be chronically infected, and there will be little or no pain.

If you experience any of these symptoms, your dentist will most likely recommend non-surgical root canal treatment to remove the damaged or diseased pulp. The injured pulp is removed, and the root canal system is thoroughly cleaned and oburated (filled). Local anesthesia is used during treatment. Sometimes treatment might require two (or more) treatment visits.

For anxious patients, oral sedation and nitrous oxide sedation are available. Monitoring systems (pulse oximeter for nitrous oxide) and Criticare Systems monitoring (for oral sedation patients) are used during treatment. Local anesthesia is also used during all patient treatments.

Endodontic Presentation

To provide you with a better understanding of endodontic therapy, we have provided the following multimedia presentation. Many common questions pertaining to root canals are discussed.

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What happens after treatment?

When your root canal therapy has been completed, a record of your treatment will be sent to your restorative dentist. You should contact their office for a follow-up restoration within a few weeks of completion at our office. Your restorative dentist will decide on what type of restoration is necessary to protect your tooth. It is rare for endodontic patients to experience complications after routine endodontic treatment or microsurgery. If a problem does occur, however, we are available at all times to respond. To prevent further decay, continue to practice good dental hygiene.

How much will it cost?

The cost associated with this procedure can vary depending on factors such as the severity of damage to the affected tooth and which tooth is affected. In general, endodontic treatment is much less expensive than tooth removal and replacement with an artificial tooth (implant-supported crown or fixed partial denture).