Don’t Fear the Root Canal

Root canals have an undeserved reputation as a painful dental procedure. It is ironic that the goal of a root canal is to relieve the pain of infection or inflammation at the center of a tooth. To ease apprehensions for patients who have never had a root canal, this short article will walk you through it, step-by-step.

A root canal needs to be performed if the pulp of the tooth – the center mass under the enamel and dentin – becomes infected or inflamed. While infected, the tooth hurts, a lot. The pain can be so great that you just want the tooth removed. Although removing the tooth will remove the pain, a root canal removes the pulp of the tooth – replacing it with a rubbery substance – but keeps the dentin and enamel.

Endodontics, the specialized branch of dentistry that deals with the pulp, will be required to save the tooth. A root canal is preferable for a number of reasons to tooth extraction. The most obvious being that the patient will still have the tooth. Keeping your natural teeth for as long as possible is a much better alternative than dentures or orthodontic replacements.

• A local anesthesia is injected into the gums surrounding the tooth.
• The affected tooth is isolated by the use of a dental dam. This keeps the affected area sterile.
• A small hole is drilled into the tooth.
• The infected pulp is removed, the interior of the tooth is cleaned and the canals are disinfected.
• The canals of the tooth are filled with gutta-percha. This material is a rubbery, thermoplastic replacement for pulp.
• The whole is sealed and the tooth is capped.
• Your tooth will need to have a permanent filling or crown applied, but that procedure is usually done by a general dentist.