SAVING SMILES WITH ROOT CANAL TREATMENT

Root Canal Therapy

If a nerve is exposed from a broken tooth, if decay is deep into the tooth, or if there was trauma to the nerve of the tooth, a root canal therapy might be diagnosed. A root canal therapy removes the nerve of the tooth. Toothaches have been described as being worse than child labor, so we do our best to diagnose if a root canal therapy is needed as soon as we see a problem. The process of a root canal treatment starts by numbing the affected tooth, then a protective rubber mouth dam is placed. The rubber dam protects the patient’s gums from some of the cleaning agents used. A hole will be drilled into the tooth so the dentist access the nerve.

Once the nerve is reached, the dentist will remove the nerve. The dentist will need to use little dental files to clean out the nerve canal. Many x-rays will be needed during a root canal treatment to verify the nerve was all removed. After the nerve canal is all cleaned out and shaped by the files, a cleaning agent will be used to flush out the canal. After the doctor is happy with the nerve canal, it will be dried using little paper points. After the canal is fully dry, the dentist will insert the nerve replacement. The nerve is replaced with gutta percha, it is a rubber-based material to hold the shape of the nerve canal. The gutta percha is warmed up to completely fit the nerve canal. The extra materials are removed. The majority of teeth that receive a root canal therapy need to be covered by a crown as the tooth will became brittle. A dental crown will protect the tooth from breaking but, a root canal and crowned tooth can still get a cavity so brushing and flossing are extremely important.