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Yikes! Those two words can strike fear into many people! But, these are people who had root canals done or have heard horror stories from the past. The science of root canal therapy has come a long way. Root canals today are effective, painless and a great way to save a tooth that would otherwise be lost.
It is rare that an infected or abscessed tooth needs to be pulled these days because root canal is so effective it can save just about any tooth. But it takes an experienced
endodontist or dentist to do the job right.
In the center of our teeth we have a root or living tissue called pulp. It is comprised of nerves, blood vessels and connective tissue. If something irritates or upsets the pulp in a tooth it can become inflamed, infected and extremely painful. Many things can irritate the pulp. If you have had a deep filling the pulp may get irritated and then over the next few years hot and cold will irritate it worse, chewing on the tooth may further irritate it
until it is quite painful. Other things that can irritate the pulp is an incorrect bite causing pressure on a tooth, opening bottles with your teeth, decay and periodontal disease.
Tooth decay is the most common cause of an inflamed pulp, or more correctly called pulpitis. If cavities are left with out getting a filling put in, they will continue to decay the tooth deeper and deeper until it hits the root. You never know if your cavity is going to decay quickly down to the root or slowly, but once it reaches the root the damage is done and a root canal will have to be done or the tooth pulled. The tooth will be extremely painful and sensitive until something is done. The entire side of your face may swell with this “tooth ache”.
Something will need to be done quickly in order to stop the infection from spreading into the jaw bone itself. The best treatment is root canal therapy. The steps involved in root canal are done in two trips to the dentist’s office. The dentist drills down to the root through the top of the tooth. The pulp is removed and medication is placed into the tooth. The hole is filled with a temporary filling. At the next appointment the canals are
widened and a filling put in, usually made of gutta percha. This procedure can take about one and half hours. The only uncomfortable part about root canals is keeping your mouth open for such a long time. The doctor will then fill the tooth with a silver amalgam filling, or some other filling or put on a crown. Root canals are no longer
painful when given a local anesthetic.
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