Root Canal Treatment
Root Canal Treatment is the best method to saving an infected tooth. This procedure not only saves the natural tooth, but also stops the infection from spreading into the surrounding tissue.
Root Canal's are generally performed in 3 stages. Below provides a guideline, however this may vary dependent on your case and the dentist.
What to expect at my appointment?
Diagnosis & Initial Clean of Infection to Relieve Pain
At your first appointment, the dentist will administrate Local Anaesthetic. They will then use a dental handpiece to gain access to the canals - where the nerves of the tooth are located.
Once accessed, the dentist will perform a clean of the canals using irrigating solutions, cleaning the infection.
The dentist will place a temporary dressing at the end of your appointment, which will aid in accessing the canals again.
Follow-up Clean & Medication
At your second visit, the dentist will remove the temporary filling and dressing material to gain access to the canals.
They will then proceed to clean the canals, which includes shaping and preparing the canals for the final permanent root filling.
Once the cleanliness is ideal, the dentist will place medication in the canals, and temporarily seal again ahead of the final appointment and filling.
Root Filling & Completion
At your third and final visit, the dentist will liase and assess whether symptoms have improved. If so, the dentist will proceed with the final root filling and restoration.
This will involve removal of the temporary dressing, and the dentist placing a sealant and plastic material which will fill the canals.
Following this, the final restoration will be performed on the tooth, usually a resin material.
It is recommended following any root canal procedure, that the treated tooth is covered with a dental crown. This improves the strength of the tooth, and also aids in hiding the discolouration of the tooth, which is common following root canal treatment.
