What is it?

Root canal therapy is an indispensable procedure in the treatment of teeth that are severely decayed, infected, or broken, and can save your teeth from extraction.

Root canal therapy is performed when the pulp which is composed of nerves and blood vessels in the tooth becomes infected or damaged. During root canal therapy, the infected areas in the pulp chamber (found in the crown of the tooth) are removed, and the inside of the tooth is cleaned and sealed.

Why might you need it?

Common signs that you may require root canal treatment include, but are not limited to:

• Severe and persistent toothache pain upon chewing or application of pressure
• Prolonged sensitivity (pain) to hot or cold temperatures (after the heat or cold has been removed)
• Dark discoloration of the tooth
• Swelling and tenderness in nearby gums
• A badly chipped or cracked tooth (highly noticeable chipping or cracking)

Sound familiar? You may be a candidate for root canal treatment – consult your Esthene Dental Centre dentists today!

What can The Esthene Dental Centre do for you?

People fear root canals because they have a reputation for being extremely painful. This is actually a misconception: our root canal treatment patients report that the procedure itself is no more painful than having a filling placed which, at The Esthene Dental Centre, is minimal or non-existent thanks to our expertise and experience!

Of course, not all dentists are up for the challenge that root canal treatment can pose. At The Esthene Dental Centre not only are we specialists in root canal, we make the procedure as comfortable and pain- and stress-free as possible.

During a root canal procedure, we will access the pulp chamber in the crown of the tooth and reveal the root canals contained in the roots of the tooth. The infected nerve is removed and the canals are shaped using special files to smooth the walls and ensure no infected pulp is left behind. The canals are then filled with a special material that seals off the root canals.

After root canal therapy the affected tooth can become brittle. To protect the tooth from fracture and further decay, our dentists may recommend that the tooth in question be restored with a crown or veneer.

Note: because of the complexity and difficulty of root canal therapy (due to multiple configurations and particularities of root canals in each individual) this treatment can pose a challenge for the dentist. Sometimes, it’s necessary to refer our patients to endodontists specializing in root canal therapy. In this case our dentists will talk you through all your options.