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ROOT CANAL THERAPY
Contrary to popular belief, root canal treatments are not painful! Root canal, or endodontic therapy can save your natural tooth, which is the ideal case. Endodontic therapy also has a very high success rate, and with good care, many treated teeth can last a lifetime.
ROOT CANAL THERAPY
WHEN IS ROOT CANAL THERAPY NEEDED?
Root canal therapy is needed when the nerve of a tooth is affected by decay or infection or even trauma. In order to save the tooth, the nerves inside the roots are removed and the resulting space is filled with special, medicated, dental materials.
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Having a root canal done on a tooth is the treatment of choice to save a tooth that otherwise has to be removed. Many patients believe that removing a tooth that has problems is the solution, but what is not realized is that extracting (pulling) a tooth will ultimately be more costly and could cause long term problems.
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​Root canal treatment is highly successful and usually lasts a lifetime, although, on occasion, a tooth will have to be retreated due to new infections.
Signs and symptoms for possible root canal therapy:
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An abscess (or pimple) on the gums.
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Lingering hot and cold sensitivity.
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Severe toothache pain.
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Sometimes no symptoms.
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Swelling and/or tenderness.
Reasons for root canal therapy:
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Decay has reached the tooth pulp (the living tissue inside the tooth).
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Infection or abscess has developed at the root tip.
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Injury or trauma to the tooth.
A root canal procedure requires one or more appointments and can be performed by a dentist or endodontist (a root canal specialist).