Root Canal Therapy
Endodontic therapy — also known as Root Canal Treatment — is a procedure in which your dentist removes infected pulp and fills the root canal to prevent the infections from recurring in the future. If you have a nerve infection, getting a root canal at Dental 266 can save your teeth and prevent extractions from becoming necessary.
When Do You Need A Root Canal Treatment?
When a tooth is severely decayed or broken already and bacteria has invaded the tooth, deeply damaging the nerve inside, then we recommend a root canal treatment to save your tooth. Usually, the problem is manifested outwardly as a severe toothache, dental abscesses on the gums or radiolucency on your tooth’s x-ray image.
Want to learn a little more about Root Canals?
The Anatomy if a Tooth Decay or Damage
- Anatomy Tooth Decay PhotoA tooth is comprised of three different layers:
- The Enamel is the outer layer and the hardest layer.
- Dentin, the second layer of the tooth, supports the enamel.
- The pulp is the third and innermost layer. The Pulp is that cave-like space inside the tooth where the nerve and living tissue are located.
What causes nerve infection and contamination? This happens either of three ways –
- Decay – the most common reason. Caused by a decayed hole in your tooth deep enough to contaminate the nerve inside.
- Infection – caused by the infected bone and gum around the tooth that may lead to infection or damage of the pulp.
- Broken Tooth – exposing the nerve following a severe trauma such as fracturing a tooth or a filling due to a fall and sports injury
How Root Canal Treatment Works
A root canal treatment is comprised of 3 stages – all conducted within the premises of our Burwood dental centre.
Stage 1: We remove the nerve from the root canal of your tooth. This happens when the patient has already complained of pain due to infection.
Removal of the nerve is usually a painless procedure done by numbing your mouth with a local anaesthetic. Our experienced dentist will make an opening at the top of the infected tooth to access the damaged nerve.
Stage 2: Continue to remove any infected pulp and bacteria from the root canal system. The purpose of this is to ensure complete removal of all bacteria and infected pulp that is causing the infection. At this stage, we will also reshape the root canal system and widen the root canal slightly to make room for the final root canal filling.
Stage 3: After the root canal system has been cleaned and disinfected, our Dental 266 dentist will seal your root canal with a rubber-based filling to prevent bacteria from infecting again your tooth.
In most cases, our dentist will recommend a dental crown to cap your tooth. The purpose of this is your tooth will become weak and fragile after the root canal treatment. The dental crown seals the filling, and provides protection for the tooth.
You might need 3-4 or more visits to our dental clinic to finalise the root canal therapy. All these procedures are done using advanced treatment techniques utilising hygienic materials and performed in the most relaxing and peaceful atmosphere at our clinic.
So If you have a severe toothache, don’t delay it further and contact Dental 266 now to discuss your options and to see if a root canal is a right treatment for you. A root canal treatment can work wonders for your teeth’s integrity before an infection gets worse – and restores your beautiful smile!
Disclaimer: Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.