ROOT CANALS

What Is a Root Canal?
Root canal treatment (endodontics) treats a diseased or infected nerve of the tooth. In 95 percent of the cases, the tooth can be saved through treatment. We believe in saving teeth (instead of removing them, as used to be the case). We make every effort to help you keep your natural teeth for a lifetime!
Once it has been determined that root canal treatment is required, the following steps are taken:

• Tooth is anesthetized. A local injection is given to "numb" the area.
• The diseased nerve is removed. The unhealthy nerve in the interior of the tooth is removed. The canals which are located inside the roots themselves are cleaned and permanently sealed.
• Completion. Once a tooth has had root canal treatment, it is strongly recommended that a crown be placed on this now non-vital and progressively brittle tooth. This is a separate but necessary procedure from root canal therapy.

Follow-up Care
Once the root canal treatment has been completed, you should consider the following:

• Brittleness - a non-vital (endodontically treated) tooth is more brittle than a vital one and is more susceptible to fracture. Therefore, in most cases, we recommend that your root canal tooth be crowned (capped) following treatment.
• Discoloration - you may notice that your endodontically treated tooth (especially a front tooth) has undergone a change in color. Though this discoloration is of no medical concern, you may be interested in having the tooth whitened.

Contact us today to book your appointment and to discuss any further information you require about root canals.