Root Canal Treatment is a dental procedure carried out when a tooth becomes too infected for a standard filling.
Most people have heard of the term, usually from people actively trying to avoid needing one, but how many know what it actually involves?
When Would You Need Root Canal Treatment?
As you’re probably aware, roots are what keep our teeth in place. Often, these are longer than the tooth themselves and, like teeth, are subject to decay. Decay at the roots can happen due to letting it go untreated for a long period, as well as decay beneath a filling, trauma to the tooth, bruxism and advanced gum disease.
Once the root begins to decay, it can be vulnerable to collecting bacteria which can quickly result in infection. Signs that you have an infection in your root canal include:
- Sporadic and unprovoked pain in the tooth
- Sensitivity to hot or cold food and drinks
- Pain when biting or chewing
- Swelling or oozing of pus on the gum near the infected tooth
- Facial swelling
Usually, pain is associated with an infection in the root canal, but on rare occasions, you may be asymptomatic, and only an x-ray can highlight the problem. If an infection or decay compromises the root canal, left untreated can cause severe complications, including bone loss in the jaw and the complete loss of the tooth, which could potentially spread to other teeth.
The Structure of Teeth Explained
Before explaining a root canal procedure, it is best to understand the tooth’s construct. Although you only see the pearly white teeth, there is much more underneath the gum than you may think.
As you can see from the image above, a tooth consists of a soft tissue centre, known as the pulp cavity, which contains a collection of nerves. Although there are many layers of protection to the centre, with bad dental hygiene, these layers can wear away. Root canal infections do not happen overnight and are most commonly a result of a hole in the tooth left to decay further into the root. However, once the decay reaches this stage, it can cause significant pain and discomfort due to the nerves affected by the infection.
Extraction Vs Root Canal
Upon your first visit, your dentist will evaluate your teeth with an x-ray to get a complete view of the infection. If the tooth looks to be passed the point of saving, you may be asked to choose to remove the tooth. If extraction is the only way to prevent the infection from spreading, there is an option to replace and fill the new gap. At Bespoke Dental, we offer several options for missing teeth and are highly recommended for the best dental implants across Manchester. So, there is no need to worry if a root canal is no longer a viable option.
What to Expect With a Root Canal
A root canal treatment is not always as straightforward as other procedures and may require several visits to complete the treatment.
As a leading emergency dentist in Manchester, we commonly see patients putting off fixing tooth pain which can be as simple as a cavity, leading to more invasive treatments such as root canal treatments. Unlike other parts of the body, the tooth cannot heal itself; therefore, waiting for the infection to go alone can cause further damage. The earlier you consult your dentist, the higher the chances of being able to save the tooth.
However, if you have sought help early enough to get the best chance of keeping your tooth with a root canal, we will explain what to expect.
Before the procedure, your dentist will offer a sedative to prevent you from feeling any pain. This is usually a local anaesthetic, but as a nervous patient dentist specialist, we can provide various sedatives to make you as comfortable as possible. Once the medication is working and the area is numb, your dentist will place a rubber sheet around the tooth to keep it dry and begin drilling through the crown to access the pulp cavity. They will then remove any infected pulp that remains. If you have a dental abscess, which is a pus-filled swelling, your dentist will be able to drain it at the same time.
Filling the tooth again
Once the pulp has been removed, your tooth must be cleaned and filled. Due to the narrow canal of the root, it may be challenging to fill without files and enlarging the hole. This can take several hours and may require you to revisit the clinic another day to finish.
Anterior (front) teeth only have one root, whereas your posterior teeth can have two or three. The more roots a tooth has, the longer the procedure can take. Between treatments and visits, your dentist will likely fill the cavity with medicine to kill off any remaining bacteria and put in a temporary filling to prevent further bacteria.
Once the tooth is completely removed from infection and bacteria, it is filled like a typical cavity. Often it is recommended to add a crown to your tooth to provide security to the root canal.
Does It hurt?
A root canal removes the sensitive tissue from the centre of your tooth, which contains many nerves. As with many procedures, pain and aching after the treatment should be expected. This is especially true for root canals already in pain with the infection.
There is no set timeline for how long the pain will last, as everyone’s pain thresholds differ. However, after a few days, if the pain is still present or getting worse, you must book a quick visit with your dentist to check on the tooth, as there could be an issue with a nerve ending.
There are several ways to help with the sensitivity of your tooth after a root canal procedure.
- Avoid hard foods around the affected tooth for the first few days.
- Avoid extremely hot or cold food and drinks.
- Continue practising correct dental hygiene by flossing and brushing.
- If your dentist has not provided a prescription, you can take over-the-counter Ibuprofen or paracetamol to help.
- Do not poke or prod the affected tooth and surrounding area.
- Rinsing with salt water will soothe the area and clear the mouth of any bacteria.
Although you may feel nervous about coming to see us about your root canal, the longer you delay, the higher the chance of losing the tooth entirely. So, even if the pain makes you even more nervous, putting it off can devastate your beautiful smile. Please speak to our team today about our root canal treatments to see how we can make it as comfortable and easy as possible.