What is a root canal?
Root canal treatment is an often straightforward procedure to relieve dental pain and save your teeth. Patients typically need a root canal when there is inflammation or infection in the roots of a tooth. An endodontist, who specializes in such treatment, carefully removes the pulp inside the tooth, cleans, disinfects and shapes the root canals, and places a filling to seal the space.
Benefits
of a root canal
Alleviates Pain
Most of the pain associated with a root canal is not the procedure itself, it's the pain caused by the inflamed or infected dental pulp inside the tooth beforehand. A root canal cleans away damaged nerves and bacteria that are causing the pain and soothes the toothache.
Eliminates Temperature Sensitivity
Infected or inflamed teeth can make eating and drinking cold or hot things a painful experience. Root canal therapy removes these damaged nerves so you can get back to enjoying the food and drinks you love.
Prevents Further Serious Infections
Infection in the dental pulp chamber of one tooth can spread and further destroy your oral health. When patients forgo root canal treatments they are likely to experience swelling, pain, and further infections of their teeth, gums, and other tissue in the mouth.
Saves Your Natural Smile
The goal of a root canal is to save your tooth, not replace it. While dental prosthetics may be able to restore some of the strength of your missing teeth, nothing will ever look, feel, or function like your natural teeth!
Pain relief
Root canals provide effective relief from severe toothaches caused by infected or inflamed pulp, eliminating discomfort.
Improved chewing ability
After a root canal, the treated tooth is restored, allowing for efficient chewing and biting, restoring normal oral function.
Tooth preservation
By treating and removing infected pulp, root canals save natural teeth from extraction, maintaining dental structure.
Tooth preservation
By treating and removing infected pulp, root canals save natural teeth from extraction, maintaining dental structure.
Improved chewing ability
After a root canal, the treated tooth is restored, allowing for efficient chewing and biting, restoring normal oral function.
Pain relief
Root canals provide effective relief from severe toothaches caused by infected or inflamed pulp, eliminating discomfort.
Tooth preservation
By treating and removing infected pulp, root canals save natural teeth from extraction, maintaining dental structure.
Cost-effective solution
While root canals may have initial costs, they are generally more affordable compared to tooth extraction followed by tooth replacement options like implants or bridges.
Are you a good candidate for a root canal?
Here are a few signs that you
may need root canal treatment.
Why choose Andrews Endodontics?
Your Endodontic Specialist
At Andrews Endodontics, we are passionate about delivering exceptional, patient-centered care, while using the most advanced treatment options to help you preserve your natural teeth.
Many endodontic procedures are performed to relieve the pain of toothaches caused by inflammation or infection inside the tooth. We use modern techniques to make sure that patients are comfortable during the procedure. For the first few days after treatment, you may experience slight discomfort, especially if there was pain or infection before the procedure.
On average, a root canal may take 30 to 60 minutes. Though, in reality, the time it takes to do a root canal will depend on which tooth is being treated and how complex the infection/root canals are.
After the procedure you should avoid chewing or biting anything hard with the treated tooth until you have seen your dentist to have a final restoration placed on the tooth. Until this is done, the unrestored tooth will be susceptible to fracture.
Oftentimes, endodontic treatment may require one or two appointments. This, however, cannot be determined until after the procedure is started. If a second appointment is needed, we will schedule one for you. Please be advised that the cost quoted for your root canal is the same regardless of one or two appointments needed for treatment.
After most endodontic treatments, you should expect to be able to drive yourself home. If previous arrangements have been made for sedation, then assistance for transportation is necessary.
Each case is different, but many patients return to work the same day. Your endodontist will be happy to discuss your expected recovery time with you.
