Services Provided - Root Canals

A root canal is a procedure involving the removal of inflamed or damaged tissue from inside a tooth followed by the cleaning, filling and sealing the remaining space. 

The pulp, or soft inner tissue of your tooth, is normally surrounded and protected by a layer of dentin.  Above the gumline, the dentin is protected by a layer of enamel; below the gumline, the dentin is covered by cementum.  When a deep cavity, decay or crack destroys these protective layers, the pulp is exposed to the bacteria in your mouth.  This can result in inflammation, infection and, eventually, necrosis (pulp death).  A severe blow to the tooth can also damage the pulp.  Irritants may then escape from the end of the root and cause a diseased area (apical lesion) in the bone. Root canal treatment removes the damaged pulp and irritants.  This allows the bone surrounding the root end to repair and heal.

Couldn’t I just have the tooth removed?

You could, but then adjoining teeth may shift and interfere with biting and chewing.  You can have a replacement tooth implanted or attached to adjacent healthy teeth, but this can be expensive and require even more dental treatment.  There is no real substitute for your own tooth, which is more efficient in chewing and biting than an artificial one would be. When your root canal treatment is complete, a temporary filling is placed.  The tooth needs to be permanently restored to prevent contamination or fracture.  It is important to return promptly because the temporary filling can loosen and leak, possibly causing the root canal treatment to fail, which would necessitate re-treatment.

 When your root canal treatment is complete, a temporary filling is placed.  The tooth needs to be permanently restored to prevent contamination or fracture.  It is important to return promptly because the temporary filling can loosen and leak, possibly causing the root canal treatment to fail, which would necessitate re-treatment. 

The following CT-scan shows an area of bone that has been lost due to an infection that developed when the nerve in the lateral incisor died. Click on the video to load in a larger window.