What is root canal therapy and why should I consider it?

Root canal therapy is used to eliminate infection from the pulp of a tooth. The pulp chambers are the hollow spaces within the tooth that contain nerves, blood vessels, and other cellular structures. Root canals are one of the most widely used methods to preserve the patient’s teeth and save them from extraction.

When the enamel of a tooth becomes cracked, or chipped, or gets overrun by tooth decay and cavities, the pulp of the tooth may become infected and this will result in a very painful sensation that causes the patient great discomfort. Dr. Ellis at the Love Your Smile Dentistry has streamlined process for the removal of infected components, cleaning and decontamination of the hollowed out pulp chamber, reshaping the cavity and filling them with inert materials to restore strength and structure to the tooth receiving a root canal.

What should I expect from a root canal treatment?

When a tooth becomes threatened by decay and infection, many patients think that the best possible option is to have the affected tooth extracted. For dental experts, however, saving the teeth from extraction is the primary objective of effective dentistry. In order to do this, root canal treatment will be recommended.  Because of the complexity of this process, root canals are usually done in stages where in the patient is asked to return to the dentist office multiple times for the process to be completed. Initially, the affected area will be desensitized using local anesthesia. The dentist will then proceed to drill into the tooth until the pulp chamber is reached, where he can proceed to the complete extraction of the pulp, including nerve tissues and other cellular structures. Once the pulp chamber is hollowed out, the dentist will proceed to clean this cavity and reshape it in preparation for the filling material that will be used to subsequently seal the hole. In most cases, a desensitizing agent will be placed inside the cavity in order to completely destroy any remaining nerve endings, essentially rendering the tooth dead.

A temporary filling maybe used to seal off this application while the desensitizing agent is allowed to exert its actions for a specified amount of time. After this, the patient will come back for the final sealing of the cavity with a permanent filling material to prevent contamination of the treated area. There have been cases when dentists recommend getting a dental crown for the treated tooth in order to further protect it from future infections.

What are the results obtained from getting a root canal?

After a root canal treatment, teeth are generally restored to their original functionality. Because the teeth were not extracted, the mouth may still function normally without the aggravation of having missing teeth. Teeth that have been restored through root canal treatment are generally expected to last for a very long time when maintained with proper dental hygiene.