Root Canal Treatment
When the nerve of the tooth becomes infected, than root canal treatment can save your tooth.
You may notice that you have an infection, if you experience either
- Prolonged dental sensitivity to hot or cold
- Tenderness when biting or eating or
- Facial or oral swelling
- Bad taste in your mouth
You may also be completely unaware that you have an infected tooth, as you may not be experiencing any symptoms. An x-ray will show any infection.
A root canal is needed when the pulp (the soft tissue inside the tooth) becomes inflamed or infected as a result of trauma or injury to the tooth, deep decay, repeated dental procedures on the tooth, or a cracked or chipped tooth. This may lead to an abscess, where the symptoms can range from a dull ache to severe pain and tenderness when biting. If left untreated, the infection will spread resulting in the tooth having to be removed.
An infected tooth will not heal by itself and as it gets worse, it will continue to be a source of infection that brings down your immune system.
Root canal treatment normally takes 2 visits to complete. At the first appointment, we normally remove any infection from the tooth, any abscesses are drained and the root canal is cleaned and shaped ready to place the filling. A temporary filling is placed on the tooth.
At the second visit, the temporary filling is removed and we check that the infection has cleared before filling the tooth permanently.
A crown may the very last step in the procedure, which will give this tooth added strength and protection.
The Sparkle Dental Boutique team are happy to provide root canal treatment for many patients, with the majority of our clients coming from London and its surrounding areas such as Hounslow and Brentford. If you have concerns and feel that root canal treatment may be a good option please book a consultation to discuss the procedure and your choices.
