Root Canal Treatment
Teeth for many reasons die and become infected. The dead tissue is removed from the insides with fine instruments and the inside of the tooth; root canals are rinsed out with antiseptic wash.
This type of treatment is usually carried with the tooth poking through a hole in a protective rubber sheet called a rubber dam and often requires local anaesthetic. In the vast majority of cases, the treatment is entirely painless. There is occasionally some discomfort after the treatment, but this is usually controllable with simple painkillers and settles down after a few days.
Some teeth have two or three roots making treatment much more complicated, and it may take several appointments to settle an infection down and complete treatment.
Not all cases of infection can be controlled and the tooth may need surgical treatment (apicectomy) or extraction. Some teeth that are also heavily filled will need crowning after root treatment, though this may be delayed until we are confident the root treatment has succeeded. Root treated teeth are more prone to breaking in the future. Front teeth especially can noticeably discolour usually to a grey shade.
Occasionally the infection can recur requiring the root treatment to be redone, an apicectomy or the tooth being extracted.
In most cases the treatment is successful and the tooth can give many more years of service.
Some teeth have two or three roots making treatment much more complicated, and it may take several appointments to settle an infection down and complete treatment.
Not all cases of infection can be controlled and the tooth may need surgical treatment (apicectomy) or extraction. Some teeth that are also heavily filled will need crowning after root treatment, though this may be delayed until we are confident the root treatment has succeeded. Root treated teeth are more prone to breaking in the future. Front teeth especially can noticeably discolour usually to a grey shade.
Occasionally the infection can recur requiring the root treatment to be redone, an apicectomy or the tooth being extracted.
In most cases the treatment is successful and the tooth can give many more years of service.
