Root Canal Treatment

Root canal treatment involves taking out the root nerve to relieve discomfort and save the tooth.

Why is root canal treatment needed?

Following decay, injury or heavy restoration over time, the nerve in a tooth can die and the dental pulp can become infected.  Root canal treatment stops the spread of the infection through the root canal system and can save your tooth from being extracted.

What does the treatment involve?

Many patients experience a toothache or tooth pain from a dying nerve or from an abscess. Our first priority is to relieve the discomfort by treating any abscess, placing a root dressing and then applying a temporary filling.

At a follow-up appointment, the root canal will be cleaned, shaped and disinfected. When we are satisfied that the infection is gone, the tooth can be permanently root-filled.  As a local anaesthetic is used, the treatment should feel no different from having an ordinary filling.

What happens after a root canal treatment?

Following the treatment, it is often necessary to restore the tooth with a strong dental restoration such as a crown or veneer.  A tooth with no nerve may also get darker after a root filling. This is not normally an issue with back teeth, and we can plan treatments to restore front teeth, such as with bleaching.