Endodontics (root canal)
Looking after the health of the soft tissues inside your teeth.
If you’ve recently learned you need root canal therapy, you may be somewhat concerned about the prospect. Root canal treatment has an undeservedly poor reputation when the truth is it’s a very good treatment that can save your natural teeth from extraction.
What is endodontics?
Endodontics involves looking at the soft tissue inside the tooth. This includes the root of each tooth, the pulp inside the tooth, as well as the nerves and surrounding tissue.
Ideally, you’ll never have to think about this part of your tooth, but it is possible for these soft tissues to become infected, or even die off. When the pulp becomes infected like this, it is known as pulpitis, and some mild cases can be reversible with care and medication, but severe cases are irreversible.
What is a root canal?
Root canal therapy is necessary if the centre of your tooth, the dental pulp, becomes infected or inflamed. The pulp consists of connective tissues, nerves and blood vessels and extends into the root canals in your tooth roots.
When a tooth is strong and healthy, the dental pulp is surrounded by tooth structure that protects it, but if a tooth becomes decayed or damaged, infection-causing bacteria naturally present in your mouth can get deep inside the tooth, eventually reaching the dental pulp.
During a root canal treatment, our dentist will carefully make an opening in the tooth to access the dental pulp, removing the entire dental pulp. The pulp tissues extending into the root canals are also removed, and the root canals are shaped using special files.
Once we are sure all the diseased or inflamed tissue is removed, our dentist will disinfect the empty pulp chamber. We may place topical antibiotics at this stage, especially if the infection is severe. Otherwise, we can place a temporary filling until we can permanently restore the tooth. Sometimes it is best to temporarily fill the tooth while it settles down, to ensure the infection is eliminated. Immediately after root canal therapy, your tooth may feel a bit sensitive, and it could take a few days to settle down completely, but any severe tooth pain should disappear.
The final part of treatment is to fill your tooth permanently with a material called gutta-percha, and we will probably need to place a dental crown over the entire tooth. Usually, a tooth that requires root canal therapy will have lost quite a bit of its original structure, so an ordinary filling wouldn’t be strong enough to repair it. Covering the entire tooth helps restore its original strength, structure and appearance, leaving you with a tooth that looks and feels natural and comfortable and pain-free.
What are the advantages of receiving endodontic treatment?
There are multiple key benefits to receiving endodontic treatment such as a root canal:
- Remove the source of pain: When the pulp in your tooth becomes infected, it can be extremely painful. Having a root canal treatment removes the source of that pain.
- Save your natural tooth: Without a root canal, the infection in the soft tissue in your tooth can get worse, and you could lose your natural tooth.
- Avoid more invasive treatments: Despite its bad reputation, a root canal is akin to a large filling. However, without one, you may end up needing a dental implant or other tooth replacement procedure, which is more invasive than a simple root canal.
If your tooth is causing you pain, it’s important to have it checked by a dentist and determine the ‘root’ of the issue so you can fix it, maintain the health of your teeth, and get back to living life to its fullest.
Get in touch with our friendly team to schedule an appointment.
Frequently asked questions
A root canal treatment in Australia depends on a number of factors, such as how many canals the tooth has (one canal makes for a simpler and faster procedure than a tooth with four canals), and whether you need additional appointments or sedation.
You may also need to factor in the cost of getting a dental crown, as this is an important follow-up to most root canals and can add an additional cost.
If you need financial assistance for your treatment, we offer an exclusive interest-free payment plan called SmileFund. With SmileFund, you can undergo your dental treatment and pay it off over time.
Yes, absolutely. Anyone who knows the pain of a soft tissue infection or the nerve dying inside the tooth knows just how worthwhile a root canal is. Not only does this treatment rid you of what can be severe dental pain, it also prevents the infection spreading further, and helps to preserve your natural tooth and avoid further dental treatments that you would need to replace it.
A dentist and an Endodontist have the same basic training and skills, but an Endodontist specialises in treatment of the soft tissues in the teeth. That’s why an Endodontist will often perform complicated root canal procedures or other treatments that involve the soft tissue in the tooth.
The most common symptom is a toothache, Most commonly severe lingering sensitivity especially to hot. You may also notice the gum around the tooth looks swollen, and there could be a pimple on the gum, which is the infection trying to escape. It’s more likely that you will need root canal therapy if you have a severely decayed tooth or have lost a filling and failed to replace it or if you took a severe knock to a tooth.
Sometimes, your dentist may not have the additional training or knowledge they would need in order to perform a treatment. This is most often the case for complicated root canal treatments, but your dentist may also send you to an Endodontist for other procedures, such as fixing an old root canal or placing a dental implant.
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