Root Canals are something we hear a lot about in a dentist’s office. However, what does it actually mean for you, once you’ve been put forward for the treatment? Well, we’re here to answer your questions, because at Tri-State Dental Care, we want our patients to be well informed, and to have access to the answers they really need about their dental care.
What Happens During Root Canal Therapy?
A root canal therapy usually takes three appointments to complete. During your first visit, your dentist may take x-rays of the affected tooth, to ensure they get a clear picture of what’s going on under the surface. Once this is done, they will administer a local anesthetic to provide treatment in a none painful, comfortable way. However, in some cases this is not necessary, as the tooth having a root canal is dead and does not register pain anyway.
Your dentist will then remove any tissue or ‘pulp’ that has been affected by decay, and may even need to drain an abscess if it’s growing there. Once the area has been cleaned, your dentist will then enlarge the root canal of the tooth, to allow for filling later on. This can be quite time consuming, and is why most people need two to three root canal therapy appointments.
A temporary filling is used initially, and is then removed and replaced with a proper fill and seal later on. This is to ensure the tooth does not become infected, and the temporary filling is usually medicinal in nature. Sometimes your dentist will recommend a crown be fitted, depending on which tooth has been affected.