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Root canal therapy is an indispensable procedure in the treatment of teeth that are severely decayed, infected, or broken; allowing the affected tooth to be saved from extraction and maintained for many more years.
A root canal is part of a naturally occurring space within a tooth that consists of the pulp chamber, the main canal, and more intricate anatomical branches that may connect the root canals to each other or to the surface of the root. The smaller branches are most frequently found near the root end (apex) but may be encountered anywhere along the root length.
In a root canal procedure, the dentist will access the pulp chamber in the crown of the tooth and will reveal the root canals contained in the roots of the tooth. The infected nerve is removed and the canals are shaped using special files to smooth the walls and ensure no pulp tissue or infection is left. The canals are then filled with a special material that seals off the root canals.
Root canal procedure is not as painful as it sounds! You don't have to dread getting this procedure done. With the help of numbing medicine, you shouldn't have any severe pain. You do have to take good care of your mouth after the treatment, and you may experience some post-procedure discomfort, but nothing that an over the counter pain reliever could not ease.
Once the nerve in a tooth has suffered infection or trauma, the tooth will begin to disintegrate from the inside out. Root Canal procedure preserves the tooth so that it can be retained for several more years rather than needing to be extracted.
Endodontic (root canal) treatment is recommended for situations such as:
Root canal treatment can be done in 1 or 2 appointments. After root canal treatment, your tooth may be tender for the first few days. Severe pain or swelling are not common. If this happens, call your dentist or endodontist. You can still get a cavity or gum disease after a root canal treatment. Root canal treatment does not protect your tooth from other types of damage. However with proper care and regular dental visits, the tooth could last as long as your other teeth. Most of the time, a tooth that has had a root canal treatment can be saved.
Because of the complexity and difficulty of root canal therapy (due to multiple configurations and particularities of root canals in each individual) this treatment can pose a challenge for the dentist. Sometimes, it’s necessary to refer the patient to endodontists specializing in root canal therapy in Ottawa.
