Everything You Need to Know About Root Canal Treatment

Root canal treatment is commonly performed when you have severe tooth decay or an infection. Instead of extracting the tooth and replacing it with a bridge or implant, the dentist can use this procedure to save the tooth. If your dentist has recommended root canal treatment or if you think you may need treatment, check out these commonly asked questions.

Who Needs Root Canal Treatment?

One of the most common reasons you need root canal treatment is an infection. When bacteria gets into the tooth's pulp, it can create an abscess, which destroys the tooth and causes a lot of pain in the process. During treatment, however, the dentist removes the infection and bacteria. If you don't have an infection but do have a lot of damage from decay or trauma, the dentist may recommend treatment to prevent an infection in the future.

If you need a crown for any reason — such as to strengthen the tooth or improve the aesthetics of your teeth — depending on the location and overall health of the tooth, the dentist may recommend root canal therapy first. This is more common on front teeth and on teeth with lots of decay.

Finally, whether you need a crown or not, if the tooth has been exposed to multiple procedures, your dentist may recommend a root canal treatment to prevent future problems. This is important because repeated treatments on the same tooth can cause stress on the tooth.

What Happens During the Procedure?

Many people feel anxious before their root canal treatment, especially if they don't know what to expect. However, root canal therapy is quite common and you have nothing to fear. As with any procedure, the dentist will numb the area. Because the dentist has to clean deep into the tooth roots, however, you may need extra Novocain during the procedure.

Once you're numb, the dentist will open the tooth and remove all the pulp and infection. This includes cleaning the tooth roots, which is done with small files, ranging in size so that they can fully fit and clean the tooth. Depending on the dentist's preference and your situation, the dentist may add antibiotics to the tooth and temporary seal it until the infection is dead.

Some dentists, however, simply perform the procedure in a single appointment. Either way, after the tooth pulp has been removed and the infection is gone, the dentist refills the tooth with gutta-percha material and then seals it like normal.

How Strong Is the Tooth After Treatment?

A root canal treatment is basically like getting a big filling, and fillings tend to make teeth weaker. Root canal treatment is designed to save a tooth that would normally need to be extracted. However, while the procedure does have a high success rate of about 95 percent, it can weaken the tooth because the tooth is essentially dead after treatment.

For this reason, your dentist will recommend getting a crown after root canal treatment. The crown will return strength to the tooth by removing any weak spots that occur where the fillings meet tooth tissue. Of course, this will further increase the price of the procedure, and your dental insurance will only cover a portion of the costs.

With proper care, your treated tooth could last the rest of your life. Even though the tooth is considered dead and is protected with a crown, you still need to keep it clean by brushing and flossing. In fact, you may need to be even more careful because crowns can irritate gums and cause gum recession, and a treated tooth can decay.

Root canal treatment saves a dying tooth from needing to be extracted and replaced with an expensive bridge or dental implant. If you would like to know more about root canal treatment and why you may need one, contact us at Royal Oak Dental today.