Root canal treatment aims to remove the dying nerve, bacteria and blood supply from the tooth, with the tooth remaining present in the mouth.
Root Canal Treatment
Contrary to all the horror stories that exist, root canal treatment can be very straight forward and part of routine dental treatment.
Every tooth has a nerve and a blood supply, thereby giving you sensation and the ability to gauge stimuli (hot/cold/pressure) in the mouth. When bacteria are allowed to progress into the core of the tooth because necessary restorative work hasn’t been conducted, the natural defensive mechanisms of our body are overwhelmed and the result is a toothache or in the dental world, a pulpitis (inflammation of the nerve). Trauma can also cause the nerve within the tooth to become problematic. The heavy force associated with a traumatic injury will sever the blood supply of a tooth and lead to the same eventual outcome; root canal therapy.
Root canal treatment aims to remove the dying nerve, bacteria and blood supply from the tooth, thereby rendering it dead or non-vital but still present and functioning in your mouth. This allows you to keep the tooth for hopefully a substantial period of time without the need to extract it and worry about replacing what is lost. Root canal treatment involves several stages.
The Process
Isolation +
The tooth must be isolated during treatment, this prevents bacteria entering a canal system that is in the process of being disinfected. To do this we typically apply a rubberdam; a sheet of rubber used to cover the rest of the mouth and separate the tooth from everything else.
Access +
Once isolation is achieved, the next step is to locate the number of canals present within the tooth. This involves removing all the decay and accessing what is known as the pulp chamber. Teeth can have a varying number of root canals, this will affect the treatment time, cost, longevity and success rate. Our experienced clinicians will grab pictures of each stage to make sure you are fully comprehensive and aware of what is happening during treatment.
Preparation +
Once the number of canals has been determined, the next stage is to establish how long each of these are and begin cleaning them out from the inside. We use specialised machinery for this process with the aim of removing as much of that bacteria as possible. This is all painless as the anaesthetic will ensure nothing is felt during the process.
Filling +
After the canal system has been cleaned and sterilised as best as possible, the next stage is to fill this whole system up. Again, specialised instrumentation is used with the aim of blocking these canals up and preventing bacteria from flooding back into them, thereby increasing the success rate of the treatment.
Restoration +
Finally, the root canal treatment is finished and sealed, our experienced clinicians will then restore the tooth with a filling material to provide you with functionality. This aims to restore the original purpose of the tooth prior to treatment.
