Facts About Root Canal Treatment

You may have heard a lot in the media about root canal therapy and be wondering what exactly root canal treatment entails. Root canal treatment is used to repair and save a tooth that has been severely infected or damaged due to decay or injury.

If a cavity is left to develop, it can spread to the center of the tooth, which contains the pulp. The pulp contains all the essential nutrients, blood vessels, and vitamins needed to keep your tooth healthy and alive. When it becomes infected with bacteria, it can cause pain, abscesses and even lead to the tooth dying. If you do not treat an infected tooth, you could find yourself dealing with:

• Inflammation
• Severe pain
• Tooth discoloration
• An infection that spreads throughout your body
• Increased tooth sensitivity to hot or cold temperatures
• Tooth loss

At Legacy Dental Clinic, we always work our hardest to preserve your natural teeth for as long as possible. It is in your best interest to always keep your natural, healthy teeth. For this reason, we offer root canal therapy in South Edmonton.

What Happens During Root Canal Treatment?

The process of getting root canal treatment near you usually takes two appointments to complete. At the first visit, our dentist in South Edmonton will take an x-ray of your mouth to determine the shape of your canals and see the extent of the infection. Next, our dentist near you will administer a local anesthesia to the affected area to ensure that you do not feel any pain during your procedure. They will then drill a hole into the affected tooth to remove the infected pulp and clean out the damaged tissue. Once the tooth has been properly disinfected, our dentist will place some medications inside the tooth and seal it with a temporary filling to keep bacteria and food particles from penetrating the tooth until your next appointment.

At your second appointment, our dentist will fill the inside of your tooth with a rubber compound known as gutta-percha, along with a sealer paste. They will then place a filling in the hole they created. Most of the time, a tooth is significantly weakened after a root canal. Our dentist will place a crown over the tooth to protect the tooth and provide it with extra strength. The crown will be custom-made out of porcelain material so that it will blend in seamlessly with your smile, and no one but you and your dentist will know that you have a dental crown.

The Bottom Line

While it is never fun to undergo root canal treatment, modern dental techniques and technology have made it so that the process is completely painless and straightforward. Furthermore, healing is faster and smoother than ever before. Typically, the procedure is as comfortable as having a dental filling placed. Even better is that root canal treatment is very successful and can ensure that you keep your natural teeth in your mouth for many more years to come. In fact, many teeth that are fixed with root canal therapy can last a lifetime.

If you are worried that you may have a tooth infection, please do not hesitate to contact our team of dedicated dental professionals at Legacy Dental Clinic. We are happy to provide our patients with root canal therapy. Please contact us to book a consultation today!