Procedures - Root Canals
Root Canals
The pulp inside a tooth (the part that contains the nerves and blood) can be damaged by fractures, gum disease, deep cavities or accidents. Germs (or bacteria) can get into the tooth and lead to infected tooth pulp.
You may notice:
- sensitivity to hot and cold
- pain upon biting
- swelling with or without pus
- excruciating pain when the situaction is acute
- no spontaneous discomfort when the tooth is non-vital (ie. dead)
Your dentist may notice:
- changes in the colour of the tooth,
- changes in your gums, or
- changes become evident by a dental x-ray.
Your dentist can tell from your exam and x-rays if your tooth is necrotic. In all these cases, root canal treatment can ease or prevent symptoms, and save the tooth.
Since teeth that need root canal treatment are usually badly broken down, the root canal is usually followed by post and core, and crown procedures. Post and core places a post along the root of the tooth, and the core will be above the gum line attached to the post. The core is what the crown will attach to. The core, in this case will act as a prepared tooth for the crown to be cemented to.
Please refer to prosthetic procedures regarding crowns.
This tooth is a decayed tooth that needed root canal therapy. The decay was not extremely noticeable from the outside; however, take a look at the first two x-rays on the right the cavity has been circled. The third x-ray shows the cleaning of the root. The fourth x-ray is a film of the filled canals. The next step for this tooth is to build up a post and core, followed by a crown (a protective, aesthetic covering for the tooth).