Root Canal Treatment
If you have a damaged tooth, root canal treatment may help to save it. Inside your tooth is soft tissue containing nerves, and blood and lymph vessels, known as the tooth pulp. When the pulp cannot repair itself from disease or injury, it dies. A fracture in a tooth or a deep cavity commonly cause pulp death, as the pulp is exposed to bacteria.
When the pulp becomes infected, it is best to remove it before it spreads to the tooth and surrounding tissues. The whole tooth may be lost if the infection is left untreated. Root canal treatment can save your tooth. At Drummoyne Dental Practice we believe it is best to save teeth if at all possible.
Root canal or endodontic treatment is a process whereby a small access hole is made in the top of the tooth and inflamed or dead pulp is removed from the inside of the tooth. Medication is placed in the tooth, providing relief of pain and infection. An adult tooth can function normally without its pulp and be kept indefinitely.
After removing the pulp, the root canals are cleaned, shaped and eventually sealed with a filling material to prevent further infection. The treatment can take approximately 2 to 3 appointments, depending on how complex the tooth is, and how long the infection takes to clear.
Subsequently a crown or complex restoration to restore or protect the tooth may be a necessary recommendation by the dentist, as a root treated tooth may be more likely to fracture.