The root canal is a procedure that has people cringing at the thought of needing it, which doesn’t really help us understand exactly what the therapy involves, and so instead of going into the dentist with knowledge, patients sometimes go in with fear. We at Smile House Dental Practice, your local dentist in Sutton, want you to have a clear and well-rounded understanding of this important treatment so that you may come into an appointment for surgery unafraid, based on the facts of a procedure that is meant to help you and bring you quality of life rather than discomfort.
When do you need a root canal?
You will experience an immense amount of pain and discomfort when there is an infection inside your tooth’s pulp and root and if left untreated, the infection and the consequences thereof will spread to other teeth; but tooth pain could mean several different things so how do you know if you have bacteria causing an infection that needs attention? When the first signs of discomfort begin to show, it is a good idea to go see your local dentist in Sutton for a diagnosis, but there are some other symptoms you can look out for too:
Tooth discolouration - a tooth that is infected on the inside may blacken on the outside, it is likely at this point that the tooth cannot be saved, but surgery will still be needed to save the tissue around it.
Sensitivity - if hot or cold foods and drinks make you wince, then this could be an indication of infection.
Persistent pain - pain that may be felt deep in the tooth or even in the face and jaw, without even touching the area, which never goes away may only get worse as time goes on and needs to be attended to.
Pain on contact - pain when you touch the tooth or bite down on food may also indicate the beginning of an infection and needs to be looked at as soon as possible.
Loose teeth - if a tooth becomes infected you may be able to wiggle it.
Treatment
A root canal is a procedure that removes the decay from the inside of a tooth to help preserve the tooth before it has a chance to infect other teeth or fall out completely.
Root canal treatment performed at your local dentist in Sutton follows some very particular steps, that aim to remove the pain, not inflict it, we hope that this understanding will put any anxieties you may have at ease. The treatment normally follows four steps.
1 Numbing
A local anaesthetic is administered to the infected area before any work is commenced.
2 Making space.
The dentist will drill an area in the tooth to expose the infection.
3 Cleaning.
The dentist will then remove the diseased pulp from inside the tooth, they may sometimes use jets of water and antiseptic fluid to help the cleaning process.
4 Filling.
Once the canal is properly clean, it is filled with a substance which will protect it from future infections, then a temporary filling is used to cover it until it is set, so that it can be correctly crowned later on.
This treatment only takes roughly 90 minutes and brings about a great deal of healing and relief of discomfort.