Why have a root canal treatment?
In the old days of dentistry, an abscess or infection meant that many people had to lose some or many of their teeth. Losing teeth is not a necessity nowadays and one of the tools in your dentist’s toolbox to help you keep your teeth is root canal treatment.
Nowadays, root canal therapy is a pretty straightforward treatment. Our dental team in Adelaide have even had people fall asleep in the chair!
How will I know if I need a root canal treatment?
Our root canal treatment patients usually come to the practice initially in a lot of pain. The dentist will take a history and perform some diagnostic tests to establish whether the nerve or pulp inside the sore tooth is either dead or dying. If this is the case, the tooth can be saved by starting root canal treatment.
What is a root canal treatment and what does it involve?
A root canal treatment cleans out the infected nerve of a tooth, allowing the patient to keep their tooth.
Our first step is to get the patient out of pain by cleaning away the inflamed or infected pulp that’s causing the pain, then placing a dressing inside the tooth to help settle the symptoms.
The next stage of a root canal treatment involves our dentists cleaning the canals inside the tooth completely, so they’re sterile and free of infection.
If we leave these canals empty, then sooner or later bacteria will get back inside. Once the pain and infection has settled completely, a root canal filling material is placed in the canals.
Often, a crown is placed over the tooth to protect it. Teeth that have a root canal treatment without a crown can be more brittle and, therefore, prone to cracking.
Are root canal treatments painful?
Nowadays, we have a lot of modern dental technology at our disposal, such as the ProTaper rotary endodontic system, digital X-rays, and powerful local anaesthetics. These all combine with our approach to patients to mean that root canal treatments need not be any different from other routine procedures.
Root canal treatment – Shepherds Hill Dental
If you have any questions about root canal treatment or would like a second opinion, then please give our friendly reception staff a call on 08 8278 6858.
