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Root Canal
A root canal is one of the most common dental procedures performed in our office. This treatment can save your teeth and prevent the need for dental implants or bridges.
At the center of your tooth is pulp. The pulp is a collection of blood vessels and nerves that help to build the surrounding tooth. Infection of the pulp can be caused by trauma to the tooth, deep decay, cracks and chips, or repeated dental procedures on the tooth. Symptoms of the infection can be identified as visible injury or swelling around the tooth. Other symptoms associated with pulpal involvement include sensitivity to temperature and percussion. If you experience any of these symptoms or a combination of the above symptoms, Dr. Young may recommend a root canal to eliminate the diseased pulp.
How is a root canal performed?
Dr. Reggie Young will anesthetize your tooth to eliminate any discomfort. As with all dental procedures at Lake Country Dental Care, the option of Sedation Dentistry is at your disposal for your comfort. The injured pulp is removed and the root canal system is thoroughly cleaned and sealed. This treatment may be completed in one or more visits depending on the treatment required. Success for this type of treatment occurs in about 90 percent of cases. If your tooth is not amenable to endodontic treatment or the chance of success is unfavorable, you will be informed at the time of consultation or when a complication becomes evident during or after treatment.
What care follows root canal treatment?
Once treatment has been completed, you should consider the following:
- Brittleness — a non-vital endodontically treated tooth is more brittle than a vital one and is more susceptible to fracture. Therefore, in most cases, Dr. Young recommends that your root canal tooth be crowned following treatment.
- Discoloration — you may also notice that your endodontically treated tooth (especially a front tooth) has undergone a change in color. Though this discoloration is of no medical concern, you may be interested in having the tooth whitened.
