Root Canal Treatment

What Are Root Canals?

There are tiny canals within your tooth that may become infected. This leads to the (nerve) pulp inside your tooth also becoming infected as well. The canals are cleaned and then filled and the tooth receives a crown.

How Are Dental Root Canal Treatments Performed?

Depending on the number of teeth and severity affected, root canals usually require one to two visits, not including any follow-up visits. Dr. Kinn will numb the affected tooth or may offer you the option of mild sedation. A rubber dental dam is placed and the tooth is then opened through the top or the back of the tooth. The actual root canals are measured with files to clean the entire canal so that the filling material will completely fill the canal.

All of the diseased pulp in the tooth is removed, and the canal is cleaned out thoroughly with an antiseptic solution. The canals are then filled with gutta-percha, a flexible plastic material. A temporary filling is then put on top of that. A crown or permanent filling will be done after there has been no sign of infection. Crowns are most common since the root canal procedure weakens the tooth. The crown is usually placed as soon as possible, within a month or less.

Is It Painful to Have a Root Canal Procedure?

It’s popular to depict root canals as an extremely painful experience but this isn’t true. Advancements in anesthetics and technology in dental procedures have made root canal therapy almost pain- and hassle-free. Patients can expect shorter recovery times and less discomfort than they may have had in the past.

What to Expect With a Root Canal

A root canal treatment may not be as scary if you learn what it involves. Dr. Kinn will use local anesthesia to numb the area near your tooth to stop you from feeling any pain. Though there are some rare situations where the anesthetic might not be 100% effective due to problems such as abscesses. In this case your dentist will typically prescribe their patients an antibiotic 7 to 10 days ahead of time in order to prevent this from happening.

After the procedure has been completed and all of the bacteria and infection are cleared out of the interior of the tooth, your endodontist or dentist will remove the nerve, place a soothing agent and close the tooth with a filling. Any discomfort the patient might feel when the procedure is complete should clear up in the next twenty-four hours as whatever might be left of the infection is eliminated by the immune system. There may be slight tenderness in the area for a few days afterward.

Will There Be Any Pain?

It’s possible to experience pain or discomfort when the gum tissue is inflamed. Dr. Kinn may have eliminated the nerve of the tooth during the procedure, but the nerves in the surrounding areas are still present, and the swollen tissue can still cause some discomfort.

In any situation, keep in mind that it’s unusual to experience pain that continues for more than a couple of days. If you are experiencing pain like this, be sure to contact our office as soon as possible.