Root Canal

Do I need a root canal?

Here are some signs that might indicate you do:

• Infected or sick tooth due to decay or injury

• Chronic tooth pain from contact with hot and cold liquids

• Pain from pressure or biting down

• Danger of infection spreading

Under your tooth's outer enamel and within the dentin is an area of soft tissue called the pulp. There you will find the tooth's nerves, veins, arteries and lymph vessels. Root canals are small, thin divisions that branch off from the top pulp chamber down to the tip of the root. 

When the pulp becomes infected due to a deep cavity or fracture that allows bacteria to seep in, or due to injury caused by a trauma, it can die. Damaged or dead pulp causes increased blood flow and cellular activity, and pressure cannot be relieved from inside the tooth. Pain in the tooth is commonly felt when biting down, chewing on it or applying hot or cold foods and drinks.

Without treatment, the infection will spread, bone around the tooth will begin to degenerate, and the tooth may fall out. Pain usually worsens until one is forced to seek emergency dental care. Usually extraction of the tooth is necessary and can cause surrounding teeth to be affected. Though an extraction is less costly, there will be a space left behind requiring an implant or a bridge, which can be more expensive than root canal therapy. It is always better to keep your original teeth.

What does the procedure involve?
 Treatment usually involves one to three appointments. A local anesthetic is given to numb the area.  The tooth is isolated. The tooth is then drilled from the crown into the pulp chamber, along with any infected root canal. It is cleaned of all diseased pulp and reshaped. Medication may be inserted into the area to fight bacteria. Depending on the condition of the tooth, the crown may then be temporarily sealed to guard against contamination.  If you're given a temporary filling, usually on the next visit it's removed and the pulp chamber and canal is filled with rubber-like substance or another material to prevent recontamination. If the tooth is still weak, a metal post may be inserted above the canal filling to reinforce the tooth. Once filled, the area is permanently sealed. A gold or porcelain crown is normally placed over the tooth to strengthen its structure and to improve the tooth's appearance.

More than 95 percent of root canal treatments are successful. But sometimes a case needs to be redone due to diseased canal offshoots that went unnoticed, or the fracturing of a canal filing instrument used. (This rarely occurs.)