Root Canal Treatment

Root canal treatment, also called endodontic treatment and Root Canal Therapy is a procedure performed in order to save a tooth that might otherwise need to be extracted. It is usually required when decay or a deep filling causes the nerve of the tooth to become inflamed and die.

Decay in this tooth has caused the dental pulp to become inflamed. Root canal treatment is required to save the tooth.

The root canal treatment is usually completed over one or two separate visits. The procedure involves making a small hole in the top or back of the tooth and using fine instruments to carefully remove the damaged tissue from inside the tooth. If the treatment is being performed in two visits, medicine is then placed inside the tooth in order to assist with the healing process and a temporary filling is placed.

A small hole is made in the top of the tooth, and fine instruments used to remove the damaged tissue.

At the final visit, the medicine is removed from inside the tooth and a filling material is then used to fill the space in the roots.

After root canal treatment is completed, your dentist will place a crown or filling. Sometimes, a post will be required to help keep the crown in place.

Some risks and complications

Despite our best efforts a small percentage of root treatments do fail, especially if they are only done long after the abscess develops. The failure rate increases if the root treatment is a repeat treatment of a previously failed root canal, or if some damage has occurred to the root during reaming. However, many teeth are successfully saved from extraction, and root treatments are a valuable treatment option.

During treatment very delicate instruments are used to clean and shape the tooth. Very occasionally these instruments can separate (break) in the canals. This does not necessarily mean the entire treatment is a failure. Most often the fractured piece can be removed or by-passed, and a normal root filling placed.

Sometimes the treatment is completed leaving the piece of instrument in the root. Most often this is not a problem. If the treatment does fail one can consider an alternate surgical solution: either extracting the tooth or doing an apicoectomy (cutting off the tip of the problem root and sealing it from the outside).