Root Canal Therapy

Though root canal therapy has a reputation as a painful procedure, in fact it’s designed to relieve the pain caused by an infected tooth. Root canal therapy is a procedure to try and retain a tooth in the mouth when the nerve has died or is dying, restoring the tooth to its full strength and function.

Root canal treatment is a complex and technically demanding procedure, but one which, when performed well, has a very high success rate.

How is Root Canal Therapy performed?

Root canal therapy is usually performed with little or no discomfort; most of our patients report that having root canal treatment today is as unobtrusive as getting a filling.
The purpose of having root canal therapy is to salvage a tooth that has been damaged, which could be caused by:

• Repeated dental work to the tooth
• Breakdown of a filling
• A deep cavity
• Trauma
• Gum disease
• Crack or chip in the tooth
• Extreme wear

Most patients prefer to save the original tooth rather than replacing it with an artificial one because the original tooth is generally stronger and functions better. Early symptoms of the need for root canal treatment include:

• Pain
• Sensitivity to heat or cold
• Tooth discolouration
• Swelling and soreness in the gum surrounding the tooth

You should start Root canal treatment as early as possible to improve the chances of success.