Root Canal Q & A

What is a Root Canal?

A root canal is a dental procedure that makes it possible to save a tooth that has the nerve or pulp compromised. In other words, when the nerve of a tooth becomes affected by deep decay or tooth trauma due to an accident or other cause. This tooth becomes painful and a lot of times produce an abscess or infection that can cause a lot of pain and destruction of the surrounding bone. It is highly recommended to look for immediate dental help as soon as you have the first symptoms. Don’t wait until is really painful or swollen. The early you treat the tooth the better it will be for you and the affected tooth.

How the Root Canal is Done?

The dentist will check the tooth with an x-ray image and he/she will diagnose and see if the tooth can have a root canal or not. It depends on how deep is the decay, or how much remaining structure is left. Sometimes is not worth it to invest the money on a root canal and a tooth restoration when the prognosis is not good or when is not going to have longevity. If the tooth is not restorable the best will be to extract it and then replace it with another type of restoration: fixed or removable. It could be an implant, a bridge, or a removable partial denture.

If the canal can be treated, the patient will get a local anesthetic same as when you get a filling or bonding done, and the tooth will be isolated with a piece of rubber to avoid contamination with saliva at the moment of cleaning the canal. Then the dentist will use multiple tools to clean the nerve and any decay that the tooth may have. At the end the canal or canals are sealed with a specific sealer and the root canal is completed after the dentist place a buildup and a crown depending on which type of tooth is treated.