The Root Canal Therapy Procedure

There is a common fear that evokes more shudders than the prospect of visiting the dentist’s office: the root canal. A cursory survey will demonstrate how numerous people fear and dread the option of getting a root canal. However, this article aims to alleviate some of that anxiety by letting you in on more about root canal treatment and how the tooth’s damage (and not the resultant procedure) is the source of all the pain.

What Is Root Canal Therapy?

Root canal or endodontic therapy is a dental procedure that eliminates infected tooth pulp before providing vital protection. This therapy’s primary purpose is to save the natural tooth and help avoid the need for a dental implant.

When Do You Need Root Canal Therapy?

The pulp forms the core part of a tooth. It has large nerves and is responsible for supplying blood to the tooth. When there is tooth decay or trauma, it exposes the pulp to bacteria, resulting in inflammation. If left untreated, the inflammation may cause the pulp to begin disintegrating. At this stage, you start experiencing unpleasant symptoms like facial swelling, pain and discomfort, tooth sensitivity and difficulty chewing. Additionally, when the tooth gets to the point where there is damaged or necrotic pulp, it indicates a need for root canal therapy.

What to Expect from Root Canal Therapy

Before you are booked in for the procedure, your dentist must determine whether you really need one in the first place. Doing so entails getting an X-ray, determining the decay’s size and location and the pulp’s size and condition. Once your dentist determines that you need a root canal, they will schedule you in for the procedure.

At your root canal therapy appointment, your dentist will first administer local anaesthesia to the target area to numb the tissues. Next, they will use a ‘Rubber Dam’ to isolate the infected tooth and keep the tooth area dry and saliva free.

Once the tooth is ready, the dentist will gain access to the treatment area by drilling a small hole into the tooth. From there, they will use root canal files to extract bacteria, decayed tissue, and debris. This process will remove all infected matter using a series of increasingly smaller root canal files. Finally, the dentist will place a crown or root canal filling to seal the tooth and prevent infection.

Please note, that the use of a filling or crown depends on how much tooth structure remains uncompromised by the delay. Additionally, a complete root canal therapy procedure may take two to three appointments to complete.

What About Pain?

Contrary to popular belief, root canal therapy treatments are not more painful than a regular filling procedure. Most of the pain occurs during the anaesthetic administration. Afterwards, the procedure is pain-free. Nonetheless, you will experience some discomfort as the infected tissues are removed.

Therefore, if you are experiencing any toothache, facial swelling, sensitivity or discomfort while eating or drinking, it may be best to visit your dentist as soon as possible for evaluation as you may need a root canal treatment.