WHAT IS ROOT CANAL THERAPY?

Root Canal Treatment is necessary when the soft tissue inside the root canal(dental pulp), becomes inflamed or infected. Root Canal Therapy is the cleaning of the inside of the tooth, sterilization, and filling of the remaining hollow space with a thermoplastic material.

There are many causes of this inflammation or infection:

  • Deep decay
  • Repeated dental procedures on the tooth
  • Cracked or chipped tooth
  • Trauma or Injury to a tooth

If pulp inflammation or infection is left untreated, it can cause pain or lead to an abscess. We HIGHLY RECOMMEND treatment by an ENDODONTIST (a SPECIALIST in the treatment of Root Canal problems).

‘TEETH LIKE NEIGHBORS’

WHY SHOULD I SAVE THIS TOOTH?

Teeth should be saved if possible. There are far greater problems associated with EXTRACTING teeth instead of saving them with root canal terapy. Crowding and Drifting of teeth is very common after an extraction due to a nerve problem. Bone loss and periodontal problems are a common risk to the neighboring teeth. Tooth removal without replacement causes a ‘Domino Effect’ on the teeth around the missing tooth, and may lead to serious dental problems in the future.

The xray to the left is of an extracted tooth where the patient could’ve saved it by performing root canal therapy. Notice how much the tooth across from the empty space has drifted up.

Our ENDODONTIST is an expert at saving teeth with root canal therapy!

SURGICAL OPTIONS

Sometimes Re-treatment is necessary of a previous Endodontically-Treated tooth. Problems may arise when a general dentist incorrectly fills a root canal, especially when a SURGICAL MICROSCOPE and ROTARY FILE SYSTEM is not used.

If a tooth requires additional treatment, there are two options:

RE-TREATMENT-

Traditional treatment through the biting surface of the tooth, and a proper filling replaces the defective one

APICOECTOMY-

A surgical process in which the tip of the root is accessed surgically and filled from the ‘BOTTOM-UP’. This option is reserved for a properly condensed root canal filling that has residual non-healing pathology around the root tip.