What is a root canal?
/Root canal treatments remove damaged or infected pulp inside the tooth. Once the tooth becomes too decayed where the decay passes the enamel and goes into the dentin, then a root canal procedure is necessary.
The doctor will first make you comfortable by getting you numb and answering any questions or concerns. Once you are numb, a rubber dam is placed to isolate the infected tooth from saliva and the tongue to keep bacteria at minimum from entering the open canal. It is very important to do this step because if more bacteria enters the canal possible infection will be at higher risk.
The doctor will remove the enamel with a rotary hand-piece and make an opening passing the dentin and into the pulp chamber. The tooth’s pulp tissue is then removed using hand files that rotate into the tooth, easily attaching the pulp tissue to the hand file with the simple rotation move. This is done in each canal of the tooth if the tooth has more than one canal.
Once the pulp tissue is removed from the canal, the canal is flushed with disinfectant solution to kill bacteria and provide a clean canal to be filled. After the canals are disinfected they are ready for a final shaping to help provide effective space to pack the canals.
The treated root canals are finally filled with a plastic like material and then topped with a temporary filling. This will prevent the tooth from becoming infected while the next steps go into process over the next few weeks for final restoration.
After a week you will come back to have the temporary filling removed in preparation for a restoration crown.
In order for your root canal to be successful it's very important to follow instructions from the dental team.
Do not bite directly on the treated tooth
Take all medication as prescribed
Eat a healthy nutritious diet
Return to follow up appointments
