The aim of root canal treatment is to remove inflamed and infected pulp tissue from within the root canals, to allow relief of pain initially and elimination of infection with ultimate retention of the tooth. The first step is to administer local anaesthetic to numb your tooth and surrounding area. A sheet of rubber (rubber […]
Underneath your tooth’s outer enamel and within the dentin is an area of soft tissue called the pulp. Each tooth’s nerve enters the tooth at the very tip of its roots. If this nerve becomes infected by bacteria from a cavity or if the pulp tissue dies, this pulp tissue needs to be removed to […]
The only alternative options to root canal therapy is to extract the tooth; however, this alone can cause the surrounding teeth to move, resulting in a bad bite. Though a simple extraction may be perceived as less expensive, the empty space left behind will require an implant or a bridge, which ultimately can be more […]
More than 95 percent of root canal treatments are successful. However, sometimes a procedure needs to be redone due to diseased canal offshoots that went unnoticed or the fracture of a filing instrument, both of which rarely occur. Occasionally, a root canal therapy will fail altogether, marked by a return of pain.
When the pulp becomes infected due to a deep cavity or fracture that allows bacteria to seep in, or injury due to trauma, it can die. Damaged or dead pulp causes increased blood flow and cellular activity, and pressure cannot be relieved from inside the tooth. Tooth pain in is commonly felt when biting down, […]
