What Is Root Canal Therapy?

Inside every tooth is the pulp chamber, containing nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissue. Deep decay, cracks, trauma, or repeated dental procedures can lead to tooth pulp inflammation or infection, leaving your smile at risk. Without treatment, the pain may become unbearable, the infection may spread, and you may even lose the affected tooth.

Root canal therapy is an endodontic procedure designed to treat a tooth with inner pulp damage. It involves cleaning out the infection, helping save the affected tooth. Root canal therapy helps relieve pain resulting from infection rather than causing it, with many of our patients leaving our practice feeling better than they did when they arrived.

What Is the Root Canal Therapy Procedure?

Most root canal treatments take a single appointment to complete. Here is a look at what you can expect.

Planning Treatment: Planning your root canal treatment is key to its success. We start by capturing 3D images of your teeth, root canals, and surrounding oral structures using our cutting-edge CBCT unit. The intricate images help us evaluate your root canals and detect any unusual anatomy. This helps plan your treatment with accuracy and precision, ensuring the best possible outcomes for your smile.

Ensuring Your Comfort: We will numb the treatment area completely with a local anesthetic for your comfort. Depending on your unique needs, our JW Dental team may recommend nitrous oxide or oral sedation to help you feel calm and relaxed during treatment.

The Root Canal Procedure: Using advanced instruments, we will remove the diseased pulp tissue, reshape and clean the root canals, and place a biocompatible material known as gutta-percha to seal the space. The last step is placing a temporary filling to prevent reinfection.

Restoring the Treated Tooth: After root canal treatment, a tooth can become more prone to breakage or damage. That’s why we typically place a dental crown over the tooth to protect it and restore its natural appearance and function. With proper care and ongoing maintenance, your treated tooth can last a lifetime.

What Are the Benefits of Root Canal Therapy?

A root canal treatment has two main goals: to relieve your pain and save an infected tooth. Losing a tooth can result in the remaining teeth shifting, a misaligned bite, or the need for a tooth replacement, such as a partial denture, dental bridge, or dental implant. Root canal therapy is one of the most effective ways to maintain a healthy, functional, and beautiful smile for many years to come.