Root Canal Treatment – Saving Infected Teeth and Relieving Pain
Although teeth are made of the hardest material in the body, their inner core—called the pulp—contains soft tissue, nerves, and blood vessels. If bacteria penetrate the tooth, this pulp can become infected and inflamed, causing pain and potentially leading to tooth loss or spreading infection if untreated.
At TwentyOneDental, we treat infected teeth with root canal therapy. This procedure removes the infected pulp while preserving the strong outer tooth structure. By eliminating the bacteria, we relieve your pain and help save your natural tooth, avoiding the need for extraction.
What Is Root Canal Treatment?
Also known as endodontics, root canal treatment is a very precise and delicate dental procedure. It involves reshaping incredibly narrow canals within a tooth to create smooth surfaces so all traces of the infected pulp can be completely removed and the canals plugged and sealed. Root canal treatment focuses not just on treating the infection and saving the tooth, but it is also a preventative treatment. Treated teeth, if cleaned thoroughly and repaired to a high standard, should remain problem-free as long as they are looked after properly.
Root canal treatment is described by many patients as being no more different than having a filling. At TwentyOneDental, we can provide sedation for nervous patients, promising a relaxing and comfortable experience while in the dental chair. We then have a dedicated recovery suite following sedation where you are able to relax in a quiet, softly lit suite, listening to soft music overseen by our in-house sedation specialist and clinical support team.
Why Have Root Canal Treatment?
While we are a leading state-of-the-art specialist centre as well as a general dental practice, we are firm believers that nothing does the job better than your natural teeth. We will do all we can to prevent losing a tooth to infection. Root canal treatment is a much less invasive and a more affordable option than replacing a missing tooth. Being a specialist centre, our expert team of leading surgeons alongside the latest in technology including our in-house 3D intraoral scanners and CAD/CAM specialised milling unit, we can perform the root canal treatment all under one roof here on-site as well as create your custom-made restorations in the same building. We will do our very best to save as much of your tooth as we can.
How Do We Carry Out Root Canal Treatment at TwentyOneDental?
To successfully treat an infected tooth, root canal treatment spans across more than one appointment.
If you are nervous about your treatment, you can arrange for sedation with our in-house dedicated specialist surgeon. Having sedation will put you completely at ease, while lucid enough to respond while having your treatment. You will come away without any bad memories and with a healthier smile.
Treating the infection
Our first goal is to deal with the source of tooth pain – the inflamed pulp. We enter the tooth and remove the soft tissues. The tooth is then flushed and cleaned with an antibacterial solution to completely sterilise the canals.
Shaping the canals and sealing the tooth
Once the tooth is clear of any infection, our root canal surgeon will shape the canals. So your tooth isn’t left hollow, the canals are plugged and then sealed to prevent any re-infection.
Restoring the damage
Most treated teeth will only need a composite filling to restore the tooth from where it was entered for the treatment. For anything more extensive, we can make ceramic inlays and crowns at our clinic on the very same day as your treatment so there is no need to leave our clinic with a half-treated tooth.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is root canal treatment?
The cost depends on the tooth being treated. Molars with more intricate canals take more appointments to treat than smaller teeth. If treatment requires a crown or inlay, the cost will also reflect the extra work.
As with all our treatments, we offer 0% finance to cover the cost across smaller increments.
Can root canal treatment fail?
If all the pulp isn’t completely removed from the tooth, the infection can still persist and threaten the tooth. We do everything we can to make sure every trace of bacteria and the pulp is removed from the tooth before we seal off the canals.
If you have had root canal treatment that has failed, we can re-treat the tooth for you and save the tooth.
Is root canal treatment an emergency?
Having an infected tooth can be painful and in that case, we would see it as an emergency to address the pain as soon as possible. Saving a tooth is alway a priority. Infections can lead to much greater problems and it is best to act immediately.
How to know if you need root canal treatment?
Routine check-ups with your dentist are crucial for this reason. If a tooth is causing you some trouble, an x-ray or CBCT scan will immediately detect if your tooth is in need of treatment.
Symptoms to look out for are increased sensitivity to temperature, discolouration, general pain and swelling around the gum.