Root Canal Therapy

A Root Canal is diagnosed with a dental x-ray, dentist examination, and history of symptoms.

• The tooth becomes extra sensitive to hot and cold foods
• Pressure on the tooth causes great pain
• Frequent tooth and gum pain
• An extremely large, visible cavity in tooth
• Abscess with pus draining into the mouth
• There is a foul odor or smell near the tooth, even after brushing

The tooth is properly numbed with anesthesia. It is then isolated and disinfected. Afterward, a filling material is placed in the canals. The tooth will then be temporarily sealed until the final restoration is placed in the tooth.

This is individual for each tooth and situation. Typically root canal therapy can take anywhere from 1 visit to 3 visits to complete. This is dependent upon the number of nerves in the tooth, and how badly the tooth is infected.

No. During root canal therapy, your tooth is not removed. Only the infection is removed.

If a tooth is properly anesthetized, there should no pain during the procedure. After the procedure is completed, some soreness and some pain may be present. Your dentist will properly inform you after your procedure.

Please be advised that root canal therapy is indicative of an infection of the tooth and should be taken seriously. The infection will go through phases of being active and inactive. During these phases, the infection can be compared to a “hurricane”, which continues to grow in strength. If not properly addressed, one can end up with severe pain, dental abscess, facial swelling, fever, cellulitis, and a trip to the hospital!!

Although not typical, this can occur because the nutrients that were keeping the tooth healthy are no longer in the tooth and have been removed due to infection. After root canal therapy, a crown or veneer is placed over the tooth to mask the color change and to protect the tooth from cracking.

In a most of the cases, yes. After root canal therapy, a tooth is very brittle and is prone to fracture. A crown or veneer will stabilize and protect it from breaking.

Yes. Root canal therapy only removes the infection within the tooth. You will need to restore the tooth with a post and a crown in order to restore the tooth it’s original strength. If the post and crown is not completed, the tooth will fracture and require a dental extraction.

Yes, a patient usually requires antibiotics and pain medicine during the root canal procedure.