Root Canal treatment is a very common procedure, successfully performed on millions of patients.
We begin the procedure by examining the tooth that is causing pain and perform an xray. That will give us a good visualization of the troubled area and we can then apply a local anesthetic to begin accessing the root. From there, we'll isolate the tooth with a dental dam to keep the tooth clean and free of saliva during the procedure.
Once the tooth has been prepped, we'll make an opening from the top and move in to clean out the the infected pulp along with applying an anti-bacterial dressing. This will make your sick tooth a happy tooth! Later, your dentist will fill the opening that we've made but we'll prep the space so that he or she can easily put in a filling.
After, we'll fill the root with a biocompatible material, usually a rubber-like material called "gutta-percha". The gutta-percha is placed with an adhesive cement to ensure complete sealing of the root canals. In most cases, a temporary filling is placed to close the opening. The temporary filling will be removed by your dentist before the tooth is restored.
An opening is made into your sick tooth.
Pulp is removed, canals are cleaned and enlarged.
Canals are further cleaned with an anti-bacterial dressing.
Canals are filled and your dentist will seal the tooth with a crown.
The success rate of a root canal is 95% when performed by an endodontist. Once healed, you will have full functionality of your natural tooth. In such cases where the first treatment is still problematic, endodontic retreatment will ensure an even higher success rate.
Treatment generally takes an hour or two and complete in 1 or 2 visits. Contact an endodontist in your area to find out more.
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