ROOT CANAL TREATMENT
a dental office with two dental chairs and a mirror

What are Root Canals?

Root Canals are procedures that need to be performed when bacteria find its way to the tooth's nerve and pulp. The bacteria cause infection, tooth decay, and dental pain ranging from mild to severe, and the tooth's nerve can be damaged. In order to save and restore the tooth, the tooth may need a root canal. 

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Root Canal Treatment Explained

Root canal therapy is a procedure that relieves patients from the pain that is caused by an abscessed or infected tooth. During the root canal process, the infected pulp is removed, and the remaining tooth structure is  cleaned, disinfected, and sealed off to prevent future infection

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When do you need root canal therapy?

The procedure is necessary when the infection has gone deep into the pulp of your tooth or the nerve has died. This occurs when a patient has left a cavity untreated for quite a long time. It can also happen when your tooth cracks or is damaged due to trauma. To save the tooth, a root canal is required.

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How to Prepare for Root Canal Procedure

Before we begin your root canal procedure, we will answer any questions you may have about this treatment. Also, we give you a few things to do to prepare yourself. 

1. Please take all prescribed medications. We may need you to take medicines such as antibiotics or anti-inflammatories just a few days before your root canal appointment. This is especially necessary if severe infection is present. 

2. Please avoid smoking. Tobacco products impede your body's healing ability. Don't smoke even days before your dental appointment for root canal treatment. 

3. Have a healthy meal. As we begin your root canal therapy, we use local anesthesia to numb your mouth for an hour or two, so eating a healthy meal before your appointment is a great idea.


The number of your root canal appointments depends on the severity of your tooth infection. To determine the best approach, we take dental X-rays of your affected tooth to determine the depth of the infection and to help us prepare. Then we discuss the process with you, suggesting the appropriate treatment options based on your dental case. 


On average, we will require you to schedule at least one or two dental appointments. It will take 30 minutes to an hour to complete a root canal during your appointment. If we need to treat a larger tooth with multiple roots, the appointment may take up to ninety minutes. 

Root Canal Procedure

1. We first apply local anesthesia to the compromised tooth. The affected tooth and the gums surrounding it need to be numbed to help you relax throughout the entire treatment. This will also allow us to perform the best approach to restore your tooth. 


2. We place a small rubber dental dam over the area to isolate your tooth and keep it dry while performing the root canal procedure.


3. Next, we create a small opening in the tooth's crown to get into the pulp.


4. We remove the tooth's infected blood vessels, nerves, and tissues using dental instruments. 


5. After removing the pulp, we clean its chamber. We clean, disinfect, and shape the root canals to avoid further infection.


6. We now fill the empty yet clean root canals with gutta-percha, a flexible and rubber-like dental material. 


7. We place a temporary dental filling on your tooth to prevent bacterial reinfection. 


8. The last step is placing the dental crown that will permanently cover the damaged tooth to complete the restoration. We remove the temporary filling first, then place a permanent crown on the tooth. Lastly, we polish and protect the tooth by adding a fluoride paste. 


We strongly recommend dental crowns to protect your treated tooth and restore its bite. A tooth crown is custom-made and is usually fabricated in a dental lab. In two to three weeks, your crown will be ready, and the last appointment for your dental crown placement will occur. 

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a dental office with two dental chairs and a mirror

Signs and Symptoms That You Need Root Canal Treatment

When you experience any of the following symptoms, you need to visit us at The Smile Suite for us for an exam to determine if a root canal is necessary in your case.

1. Recurring tooth pain that brings severe discomfort and often radiates to your face, jaw, or other teeth. 


2. You feel a lingering pain in your tooth that lasts for a few seconds when drinking hot coffee or eating ice cream. This means your tooth has become sensitive to either cold or hot food and drinks. 


3. If you have swollen gums, it can be a strong indication of oral infection. When your tooth is infected, it collects pus, which leads to puffy, swollen, and tender gums.


4. Your gums have boils or pimples because the pus has drained from your infected tooth, which causes an unpleasant smell or taste.


5. Your jaw is visibly swollen from pus that did not drain from the affected site.


6. The tooth is discolored and looks darker due to an infection on the tooth's pulp, leading to poor blood supply. 

7. There is pain when you apply pressure on the tooth. This could mean that the nerves surrounding the pulp are already damaged.


8. You chipped or cracked a tooth due to an accident or while biting on something hard. If not treated right away, bacteria can enter the tooth pulp.


9. Your tooth is loosened, indicating that the pus from the infected tooth pulp has softened the bone supporting your tooth.


The American Association of Endodontists reports that over 41,000 root canal treatments are performed daily in the United States. Root canals are a common dental procedure, with over 15 million treatments completed annually. 


Regular dental visits are necessary to help detect early signs of dental problems before they worsen. This will save you time and resources while you manage or avoid dental pain altogether. 

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