What is Root Canal Treatment?
A root canal treatment is a dental procedure performed to relieve the pain and symptoms that may occur when a tooth becomes infected or damaged and to treat and restore the affected tooth. This eradicates the need for extracting the affected tooth. Ideally, the procedure involves removing the infected and inflamed pulp section of the infected or damaged tooth before disinfecting, cleaning, sealing, and restoring the affected tooth.
What are the Reasons You May Need to Undergo a Root Canal Treatment?
Root canal treatment can be used to salvage, treat and restore infected or damaged teeth that are structurally sound, thereby eradicating the need to extract the affected teeth. Several reasons why you may need to undergo a root canal treatment; here are some key reasons why;
- If you have a deep cavity due to extensive tooth decay.
- If you have a cracked or fractured tooth with an exposed root canal. This may occur due to dental trauma.
- If you have a faulty filling.
- You have a persistent toothache.
- You have severe tooth sensitivity that does not seem to get better over time.
What is the Process to Get Root Canal Treatment?
An endodontist performs a root canal procedure which may take up to two dental visits. Unlike what most people think, this procedure is not painful. On the contrary, it is performed to eradicate the pain and discomfort that a patient may be experiencing due to the infection or trauma and salvage the affected tooth.
Here is what you can expect if you are to undergo a root canal treatment:
- The first step in the procedure will involve you getting dental X-rays. This is done to assess the extent of the infection or damage and to see whether the infection or damage has affected or spread to the surrounding bone tissue.
- After our dentist has conclusive information, the procedure will begin. You will get a shot of local anesthesia to guarantee that you will be comfortable and pain-free during the procedure.
- A rubber-like material known as a dam will then be placed around the tooth being worked on to ensure it stays clean, dry, and free of saliva as it is being worked on.
- A hole will be drilled into the tooth’s crown to access the affected tooth’s canal region. Once this is done, the pulp, diseased or damaged tissue and bacteria will be removed using a couple of specialized files.
- Once the tooth has been scraped clean, our dentist in Edmonton, AB will then use some water and hypochlorite to clean and disinfect the canal chamber.
- After the canal has been thoroughly cleaned and all debris has been flushed off, our dentist will proceed to seal the tooth. In case there is an infection, our dentist may place some medication within the canal and send you home with a temporary filling to ensure that there will be no chance of future reinfection.
- In the subsequent appointment, our dentist will fill the clean, disinfected, and infection-free canal with a paste known as gutta-percha. The access hole is sealed, and a filling is placed to seal off the tooth completely.
- Finally, the restoration process is completed using a customized crown that is placed to reinforce the tooth and restore its functionality structurally.
What are the Benefits of Getting Root Canal Treatment?
Here are some of the top benefits of undergoing our root canal treatment at our dental clinic in Edmonton, AB:
- Eliminates the chance of the infection spreading onto the surrounding bone tissues causing further destruction to your smile, oral and overall health.
- Guarantees to alleviate the pain and discomfort that can accompany having an infected or damaged tooth.
- It is a way to save your natural teeth. This helps secure both your smile and oral health cause the minute your tooth gets extracted, your smile and oral health are negatively impacted.
- Root canal treatment is pain-free. Unlike what most people think, this procedure is pain-free because it is performed under a local anesthesia.
- This prevents the future dental problem of having shifting teeth that occurs whenever teeth are extracted or when they fall off due to severe decay.
- Apart from alleviating a toothache, it can also deal with severe tooth sensitivity that can be quite uncomfortable.
Get Root Canal Treatment Near You
In a nutshell, a root canal treatment is a pain-free dental procedure that can save your smile and oral health. Are you looking to get root canal near West Edmonton? Contact us today at Great Smile Family Dental for root canal treatment in Edmonton, AB!