What Are Root Canal Treatments?
What Is A Root Canal?
If you see a cross section of a tooth, you'll see it has 'roots' not unlike a tree. Inside these roots and inside the teeth are filled with nerves and blood vessels and we call it the 'pulp' of the tooth.
This 'Pulp', is basically living tissue. When you have infection or disease that reaches inside the pulp - it can quickly get out of hand. It can get inflamed and cause a lot of pain. It can spread into your blood stream. A root canal treatment is the procedure we fix these problems with.
The Root Canal Treatment Procedure
They sound scary and probably in the past the technology was more limited. However with new training and methods we are able to completely anaesthetise the tooth and strive to keep you comfortable in our practice.
The process involves removing all the infected and sore, inflamed tissue inside the tooth. The Pulp, which sits inside the 'root canals'. When we take away the infection, your mouth is allowed to finally start healing. Fixing the pain and protecting the tooth for a longer term.
Root Canal Treatment normally requires 2 or 3 visits, a few weeks apart to completely remove and treat all the infection, but your individual case may be different and our dentists will talk about it with you.
Common symptoms that you may need a root canal treatment
- Tooth ache. Especially if lingering after hot & cold foods.
- Tooth pain that keeps you awake or unable to concentrate.
- Pain when chewing or biting.
- Any gum swelling near the painful area.
- Bleeding or a white/yellowish substance (pus).
- Pain that may give you an ear-ache or sore jaw.
- Old fillings in the area.
- Sometimes no symptoms!
Need an Appointment?
Our friendly staff can fit you in an emergency time slot if you're experiencing severe pain.