Root canal treatment, also known as endodontic therapy, involves removal of diseased or infected pulp tissue, which contains a tooth’s blood vessels and nerves. When a tooth infection reaches the pulp inside, a root canal treatment is needed to save the tooth and restore its form and function.
Who Needs Root Canal Treatment?
You need a root canal treatment if you experience some or all of these signs and symptoms:
- Severe toothache when chewing or biting
- Prolonged tooth sensitivity
- Swelling around the tooth and surrounding area
- Discoloured tooth
- A fluid-filled bump (like a pimple) on swollen gums around the tooth
What Are the Benefits of a Root Canal Treatment?
- Saves your natural tooth, maintaining your natural bite and smile.
- Eliminates pain and infection.
- Restores function, allowing you to chew, bite, and speak normally without discomfort.
- Prevents further damage and strengthens the tooth.
What Is the Procedure for Root Canal Treatment?
First, we conduct a complete examination of your affected tooth along with an examination of your oral cavity. This is followed by a digital X-Ray of the affected tooth to evaluate the degree of spread of the infection or cavity. This allows us to determine if the tooth can be saved using root canal treatment, or if it needs to be extracted and replaced with a suitable option.
Once we mutually decide to save your tooth with a root canal procedure, our experienced endodontic consultant will start your treatment, which may require only one or multiple appointments, depending on the extent of damage and infection.
The treatment involves the following steps:
1. Local anesthesia is administered for numbing the affected area. If you have had episodes of allergies or fainting with anesthesia, please inform your dentist before the procedure.
2. Once the anesthesia has rendered the affected area numb, your dentist will access the infected or damaged tooth pulp.
3. Specialised tools are used to remove the infected pulp from the tooth.
4. Next, the root canals will be cleaned completely of bacteria, their by-products, and any remaining infected or damaged pulp tissue. Then, they are shaped in order to receive the filling material.
5. Once completely shaped and cleaned, the root canals are filled with biocompatible material.
6. Your dentist will then seal your tooth with a filling.
7. In some cases, a crown may need to be placed after a root canal treatment, to protect and strengthen the tooth structure.
What Should You Do Before and After the Procedure?
After the procedure you may experience mild pain or discomfort. This can be easily managed by taking prescribed painkillers.
Why choose Dr. Nilanjana’s Dental Care?
At Dr. Nilanjana’s Dental Care, we offer a comprehensive and caring environment to carry out quality root canal treatments. Your treatment will be done by our highly qualified and experienced endodontist, using state-of-the-art equipment.
Contact us today to book your root canal appointment. The cost of the treatment will be finalised after your initial consultation.
FAQ’s
A root canal is a dental procedure that involves removing infected pulp from a tooth, cleaning the canal, and sealing it to prevent further infection.
Root canal treatment is a dental procedure to fix a tooth in which the pulp(inner part of tooth with has nerves and blood supply) is infected or damaged due to various reasons like a deep cavity or any kind of trauma
Root canals are necessary when the pulp inside a tooth becomes infected or damaged due to decay, injury, or other dental issues.
With modern anesthesia and techniques, the procedure is typically not painful. Patients may experience some discomfort during recovery, which can be managed with prescribed medications.
The duration varies, but a standard root canal procedure usually takes one to two hours. Additional appointments may be needed for crown placement.
Once your tooth pulp is infected, root canal treatment is the only option to save your natural tooth. Some patients may opt of tooth removal but it’s not recommended to remove a tooth which can be preserved.