Root Canal Therapy

The procedure treats disorders of the pulp (the soft tissue inside the crown and roots made up of blood vessels, nerves and lymph vessels that help keep your tooth nourished).

Endodontic treatment restores your tooth to a comfortable state by removing the damaged tissue and replacing it with a substance that will help preserve the function of the tooth.

When root canal therapy is needed?

There are many reasons that a root canal may be needed but the most common case is the carious process (the uncontrolled process of tooth decay).

When tooth decay begins, it penetrates the outer layer of enamel and creates a cavity. If that process is not stopped, the decay will continue toward the nerve of the tooth.

Other causes include a fracture that exposes the pulp, traumatic injury such as a blow to a tooth, a cracked or loose filling or repeated fillings in a tooth and occasionally from periodontal (gum) disease. Regardless of the initial cause, the tooth pulp becomes irritated and and abscess (infection) can occur. Bacteria from our saliva grow within the tooth pulp, causing pressure and pain. Eventually the pulp dies, causing the bone around the tooth to be destroyed.

Who does the root canal therapy?

All dentists receive training in endodontic/root canal therapy. However, sometimes complicated cases or re-treatments are referred to endodontists, a specialist who limits his/her practice to root canal procedures.

The sooner you get treatment the better: your risk of losing the damaged tooth is decreased, your pain can be relieved, and your dentist may prevent infection from spreading further.

Nowadays 95% of the cases teeth are saved with endodontic therapy.

The Procedure

Once it has been determined (with x-rays and clinical examination) that root canal treatment is necessary, you will be scheduled for one or more appointments. Your visits may last one to two hours, and you will receive local anesthesia. A rubber dam (a protective sheet of rubber that covers your mouth) may be used to isolate your tooth and prevent bacteria from entering it.

The goal of the root canal therapy is to improve the health of your damaged tooth by removing the pulp from your root canals through a small opening in the crown. Then the canals are sealed with special materials to prevent bacteria from reaching your bone. Your dentist then restores the outside of your tooth so it will function properly and have a healthy appearance. After root canal therapy, your tooth continues to be nourished by your surrounding gums and bone.

Cleaning and shaping your root canals

First, your dentist makes an opening in your tooth and removes any filling and decay. Then, the unhealthy pulp is removed with tiny, flexible files. By using delicate, up-and-down motions, your dentist gently cleans and smoothens your canals to prepare them for the canal-filling materials.

Filling your root canals

After the pulp has been removed from your root canals and they have been smoothened, your dentist will fill the canals with tiny cone-shaped pieces of gutta-percha, a firm, rubberlike material. A sealer-cement is used to seal the filling material into place.

Restoring your tooth

After the inside of your tooth has been treated the outside will be restored to protect your tooth’s underlying structures and to give it a healthy appearance. If your tooth needs extra support, some of the gutta-percha may be removed and a post inserted before the filling and crown are applied.

Care Following Treatment

Once the root canal treatment has been completed, you should be aware of the following considerations:

Discolouration: occasionally an endodontically treated tooth may undergo a change in colour. While this is of no great medical concern, you may be interested in having the tooth bleached. Be sure to ask your dentist about tooth bleaching.
Brittleness: a non-vital (endodontically treated) tooth is more brittle than a vital one, and is more susceptible to fracture. Therefore, we recommend that your root canal teeth be crowned (capped) following treatment.

You Should Know:

Occasionally a tooth that has undergone endodontic treatment fails to heal or pain continues despite therapy.
Some of the special complications that can occur include accessory root canals (large side canals coming off the main canal that cannot be cleaned out), badly curved or cracked roots and narrow canals that prevent thorough cleaning and sealing of the damaged tooth.
Sometimes, for unknown reasons, tissues simply fail to heal or a tooth that initially responds to root canal therapy becomes painful or diseased months or years later.
Despite the cause, re-treatment may be necessary to save the tooth. During re-treatment, the tooth is reopened and the canals are cleaned, filled and sealed again. There are, of course, no guarantees that the procedure will be successful but your endodontist can discuss with you the chances of success before the tooth is retreated.
Extraction is the only alternative to re-treatment and unless the tooth is replaced with an artificial one (an expensive procedure), adjacent teeth will shift, interfering with biting and chewing.
Loss of a tooth can also lead to periodontal disease and loss of additional teeth.

Root canal therapy is a common procedure for saving damaged or diseased teeth. Retaining a natural tooth is more efficient in chewing and biting and is less expensive than replacing it with an artificial one.