Root Canals
If a tooth is decayed or cracked, it is overly susceptible to a level of infection that can cause tooth loss. In order to prevent infection, or in more serious cases to rid the tooth of an existing infection, endodontic therapy – also known as a root canal – becomes a necessary option for our patients.
Many people think that "getting a root canal" entails canals being forced into the solid matter of a tooth, but this is not the case. Each tooth naturally contains three or four root canals, which are filled with tissue, or pulp. When this pulp decays and becomes infected, treatment is required to save the tooth.
During a root canal, the root canal is uncovered with a drill and the infected pulp is removed. The empty space is filled with a barium-treated material, so that the procedure can be confirmed as a success by X-ray. This filling is sealed, possibly with the use of a crown, to avoid any further chance of infection.
Although the thought of root canal surgery can fill a patient with dread, the only factor that makes the treatment painful is the presence of an abscess, which renders useless any local anesthetic that might be used. Once the affected tooth is free of abscesses, the anesthetic can do its job and the procedure is performed with little to no pain felt on the part of the patient.
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