If you are in pain or have had a tooth die quietly in its sleep (yes, that does happen!) then a root canal or endodontic treatment may be required.
Very often, a tooth requiring a root canal is exquisitely tender and for many patients has caused them to be fearful at the dentist! Never fear: my philosophy is that I will not treat you until you are numb!!
Root canal involves cleaning out the inside of the tooth until all the infection has been eliminated and then filled with rubber.
WHAT’S INVOLVED?
Root canal treatment is the removal of the soft inside portion of the tooth. Teeth are like soft centred chocolates- hard on the outside and soft in the middle. Sometimes, this inside portion becomes infected by bacteria which cause the tooth irreversible damage, hence the dental term “irreversible pulpitis.’
If the tooth is just a little bit sore and the pain goes away as quickly as the stimulus is removed, ie pain on a cold drink but gone when the drink is swallowed then the tooth has a ‘reversible pulpitis’. This means that if the cause is removed then the tooth will settle by itself and the nerve does not require removal.
DID YOU KNOW?
Most root canals fail due to lack of a good seal on the top of the tooth.
We call this a coronal restoration and the best kind is a crown ie. the king of the mouth!
I liken this to a good bottle of red wine. You wouldn’t make beautiful wine only to cork the top with a cheap seal and have it spoil. This is no different from your root canal treated tooth.
We help patients to stagger the cost of treatment to enable them to place a crown as soon as possible.