Root Canal Treatment
What is a root canal?
A root canal is a specialized dental procedure. Well over 14 million treatments are completed annually. This simple treatment can save your natural tooth and prevent the need to replace it. At the center of your tooth is pulp. Pulp is a collection of blood vessels that helps to build the surrounding tooth. Infection of the pulp can be caused by trauma to the tooth, deep decay, cracks and chips, or repeated dental procedures. Symptoms of the infection can be identified as visible injury or swelling of the tooth, sensitivity to temperature or pain in the tooth and gums.
If you experience any of these symptoms, your dentist will most likely recommend non-surgical treatment to eliminate the diseased pulp. This injured pulp is removed and the root canal system is thoroughly cleaned and sealed. Root canal therapy usually involves local anesthesia and may be completed in one or more visits depending on the treatment required. Success for this type of treatment occurs in about 96% of cases. If your tooth is not amenable to endodontic treatment or the chance of success is unfavorable, you will be informed at the time of consultation or when a complication becomes evident during or after treatment. Our doctors use local anesthesia to eliminate discomfort. We can provide additional means for sedation if needed for increased comfort.
What happens after treatment?
When your root canal treatment has been completed, a record of your visit will be sent to your dentist. Typically, your dentist will contact you within a week to schedule an appointment for the final filling or crown. You should be scheduled with your dentist no later than 30 days from the time endodontic treatment is completed. Your restorative dentist will decide on what type of restoration is necessary to protect your tooth. Mild to moderate discomfort after a root canal procedure is expected during the first week following treatment. Our team is here to help you through the healing process.
Root CANAL SAFETY
While plenty of good information is available online from the American Association of Endodontics (www.aae.org) and other reliable resources, patients sometimes arrive in the dental office with misinformation. Many misconceptions come from a single study completed in the 1920s which has been repeatedly disproven. With the addition of more modern and reproducible scientific studies it is well know that root canals are safe and effective.
How much will a root canal cost?
The cost associated with root canals can vary depending on factors such as the severity of damage to the affected tooth, and what type of tooth is affected. In general, endodontic treatment is much less expensive than tooth removal and replacement with an artificial tooth.