TL;DR
A root canal removes the inflamed or infected pulp from inside a tooth, cleans and disinfects the canals in its roots, and seals them. The tooth is fully numbed first, and many patients say the treatment feels much like having a filling placed. Afterward, a back tooth usually needs a crown to keep it from cracking. At Stone Falls Dental Care, root canals have been part of a $300-off major treatment offer for new patients; ask what’s running now. Saving your own tooth usually costs less over time than removing and replacing it.
What is root canal therapy?
Root canal therapy is treatment for the pulp, the soft core of a tooth that holds its nerve and blood supply. The pulp runs from the center of the crown down through thin channels in each root, called canals. When bacteria reach it, or it’s injured, it can become inflamed and then infected, and it can’t heal on its own once that happens.
The usual causes are deep decay, a crack, a blow to the tooth, or a tooth that has needed repeated work over the years. Left alone, an infected pulp can spread infection into the bone at the tip of the root and form an abscess. Removing the pulp ends that process while leaving the tooth itself in place.
What are the signs you might need a root canal?
The clearest sign is pain that lingers. Plenty of teeth twinge briefly with cold; a tooth whose ache hangs on for minutes after the cold is gone deserves a look. Other signs include:
Some infected teeth cause no pain at all and show up only as a dark area at the root tip on an X-ray at a routine visit. Either way, we test the tooth before recommending treatment.
- A throbbing ache that wakes you at night or starts on its own
- Pain when you bite down or press on the tooth
- Swelling of the gum or face near the tooth
- A small pimple on the gum that drains
- A tooth that has turned darker than its neighbors
What happens during a root canal?
A root canal is done under local anesthetic, and on most teeth it takes one or two visits. Once the tooth is numb, we isolate it with a thin rubber sheet called a dam, which keeps it clean and dry and keeps the instruments and rinses out of your mouth.
Through a small opening in the top of the tooth, the pulp is removed. Each canal is cleaned, shaped with fine instruments and rinsed with disinfecting solutions. The canals are then filled with a rubber-like material called gutta-percha and sealed. A filling closes the opening until the tooth gets its permanent restoration.
Does a root canal hurt?
The pain people associate with root canals usually comes from the infection itself, before treatment begins. With the tooth fully numb, many patients describe the procedure as similar to having a filling: pressure, some vibration and time with the mouth open.
For a few days afterward the tooth and the gum around it can be tender, especially when you bite, and over-the-counter pain relievers usually control it. A tooth with a lot of infection can need a little longer to settle. If dental visits make you anxious, our page on dental anxiety and fear is written for you, and it’s worth telling us before we start so we can go at your pace.
Why does a tooth need a crown after a root canal?
A back tooth needs a crown after a root canal because the treatment leaves it more brittle and easier to split. Much of the tooth was usually lost to the decay or crack that caused the problem, and the access opening removes a little more. Molars and premolars take heavy chewing forces, and a split below the gum often means the tooth can’t be saved.
A porcelain crown wraps the tooth and holds it together. Front teeth, which take lighter forces, sometimes need only a filling. Placing the crown soon after the root canal matters, since the temporary filling isn’t built to protect the tooth for long.
Is it better to save the tooth or have it pulled?
When a tooth can be saved, keeping it is usually the better choice. Removing a tooth looks simpler at first, but the gap then needs a bridge, an implant or a partial denture to stop the teeth around it from shifting, and each costs more time and money than the root canal and crown.
Some teeth can’t be saved: a root split down its length, or decay that has gone too far below the gum. When that’s the case, Dr. Prane will tell you plainly and explain what a tooth extraction and replacement would involve.