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Shop No. 12, Nimbus Center, Opp Laxmi Industrial Estate, Sab TV Lane, Off New Link Road, Andheri (W), Mumbai - 400053.
Root Canal Treatment
A root canal is treatment for infections in tooth pulp, the innermost layer of your teeth. Endodontists and dentists do about 15 million root canals in the United States every year. Typically, root canals are painless treatments. You can avoid needing a root canal by brushing your teeth after meals, flossing daily and having regular dental checkups.
Why would I need a root canal?
You may need a root canal if bacteria inside your mouth invade the pulp inside your tooth and cause inflammation (pulpitis). Your tooth pulp may come under bacterial attack if:
- You have a deep cavity that needs treatment.
- You have a cracked or damaged tooth, and bacteria from plaque infects your tooth pulp.
What are signs I may need a root canal?
If you have an infected tooth, you may need root canal treatment to clear out the infection. You can have infected teeth without symptoms. When you have symptoms, they may include:
- Tooth pain that doesn’t go away. Lots of things make your teeth hurt. But pain that’s deep in a tooth or that spreads to your jaw, face or other teeth may mean you have an infection.
- Pressure hurts. If your tooth hurts when you eat or touch it, it may mean something damaged the nerves around your tooth pulp.
- Swollen gums. If you have an infected tooth, your gums may swell or feel tender.
- Pimple on your gums. Infected teeth can create pimples or boils on your gums that ooze smelly pus.
- Swollen jaw. Your jaw may swell from pus that doesn’t drain away from your infected tooth.
- Discolored tooth. Tooth pulp infection keeps blood from getting to your tooth. That makes your tooth turn dark.
- Loose tooth. Pus from infected tooth pulp can soften the bones supporting your tooth, making your tooth feel loose.
Root canal treatment steps are:
- Your provider injects anesthesia to numb your infected tooth and nearby gum. If you have dental anxiety, your provider may give you medications to help you relax. The medication may make you feel drowsy, which means you won’t be able to drive right after your treatment. Next, your provider places a thin, flexible piece of rubber over your infected tooth and nearby gums. This is a dental dam that keeps your tooth dry during treatment.
- They drill a tiny hole in your tooth’s crown so they can get to your tooth pulp.
- Then, they use tiny dental instruments to remove nerves, blood vessels and tissues inside your tooth pulp.
- After clearing out pulp, your provider cleans and disinfects your pulp chamber and root canals.
- Next, they fill the empty pulp chamber and root canals with a flexible, rubbery dental material called gutta-percha.
- Your provider then seals your tooth with a temporary dental filling. The seal keeps bacteria from getting into your tooth.
- In the last step, your provider places a dental crown on your treated tooth. Dental crowns protect your teeth and restore your bite — the way your teeth fit together when you bite down. Dental crowns are typically made to order, so it may be two or three weeks before this last step happens.
What happens after a root canal?
Your provider may suggest you rest for a few minutes before leaving the dental clinic or provider’s office. It can take an hour or more for anesthesia to wear off, meaning your mouth and gums aren’t numb anymore. Some people decide to rest at home while that happens while others choose to go on with their usual daily routine.
Typically, you’ll have two more appointments so a provider can prepare your tooth for a dental crown and then place the crown on your tooth.