Root Canal Therapy in Subiaco

A root canal therapy is performed to save a natural tooth that has been badly damaged by severe tooth decay, trauma, or cracking. If the tooth is too seriously injured, a root canal procedure may not be a viable dental treatment choice. 

In these cases, your dentist won’t be able to save your tooth, and it will have to be extracted. If your tooth has a deep cavity, it may be damaged too much, making it too weak and unstable to be repaired. Extraction may be the best option if your tooth has a significant fracture. A tooth that has a crack that extends below the gum line would also need to be extracted.

When the soft inner component of a tooth, known as the pulp, is inflamed, injured, or infected, root canal therapy can be performed. Although the tooth’s pulp is dead, it is possible for the crown of the tooth (the visible part above the gums) to stay intact. Keeping your tooth structure is best achieved by removing the injured or infected pulp.

It may be necessary to have root canal therapy if you have any of these symptoms:

• severe and persistent toothache.
• large cavity
• tooth sensitivity
• swollen gums
• discoloured tooth
• tooth abscess

To help prevent the infection from spreading further, we recommend seeing a dentist as soon as you experience any dental pain. If you delay root canal treatment for too long, you will make the situation worse, and there is less chance of success in saving your tooth.

The most common causes of dental pulp damage are as follows:

• An untreated cavity
• Chipped or cracked teeth
• Tooth injury or trauma

A root canal treatment typically requires 3–4 appointments at a dental clinic. At the first dental visit, your dentist or endodontist will take x-rays of the affected tooth and numb the area around it with a small amount of numbing medication.

Once the area is numb, your gums will be injected with a local anaesthetic.

During the endodontic procedure, you will remain awake but will not feel any pain due to the anaesthetic. Then, your dentist or endodontist will make a small opening in the top of the tooth. Once the infected or diseased tooth pulp is exposed, it will be carefully removed using special tools called files.

They’ll be meticulous in cleaning out all the canals or pathways in your tooth. After removing the diseased tooth pulp, the dentist may apply a topical antibiotic to ensure that the root canal infection is gone and to prevent it from recurring.

On your second visit, your dentist or endodontist will clean, shape, and fill the root canal. After the canal spaces have been cleaned and disinfected, the dentist will fill and seal the tooth with canal sealer cement and an inert material called gutta-percha.

On your third visit, your tooth will be restored with a dental filling or a dental crown.

You might experience soreness when the anaesthetic wears off. You might also experience swelling in your gums. In most cases, dentists will prescribe over-the-counter pain medications such ibuprofen. If the pain becomes extreme or persists for more than a few days, you should contact your dentist.

The day after the procedure, you should be able to resume your normal daily activities. Remember to avoid chewing on the injured tooth until it has been appropriately filled or an artificial crown has been set on top of it.

A follow-up appointment with your regular dentist may be required within a few days after your root canal. Your dentist will take X-rays to make sure there’s no infection. The temporary filling will then be replaced with a permanent filling or a permanent crown.

It could take a few weeks for you to adjust to how your tooth feels following the procedure. It is entirely normal, and you should not worry about it

The following are potential risks and complications associated with root canal therapy:

• If the tooth damage is too deep or the enamel is too frail to withstand the procedure, it can lead to loss of the tooth.
• If some of the infected material remains , an abscess may develop at the root of the tooth.
• The inner sealing material can break down over time, and new infections might occur.

Typically, a simple root canal is completed within 30-60 minutes when a tooth only has one canal. A major root canal therapy, on the other hand, takes around 90 minutes to complete.

Root canal treatment cost varies depending on a few factors, including the number of canals that need to be filled . Costs can vary  between $1200 to $2000.

Tooth extraction is the only alternative to root canal therapy. Although it is preferable to conserve natural teeth wherever possible, extraction may be necessary to maintain your dental health.

If you are not a suitable candidate for root canal therapy, your original tooth can be removed and replaced with a dental implant, a dental bridge, or a partial denture. While they are not really alternatives to root canal therapy, one of them can serve as a backup plan if your tooth needs to be extracted. A root canal saves your tooth and eliminates the need for a partial denture, a dental bridge, or a dental implant for a missing tooth. Dentists almost always advocate root canals if a tooth may be saved, because preserving your natural teeth is the best way to maintain your oral health.