Root canal treatment is a dental procedure aimed at saving a dead or infected tooth. This sort of damage is generally caused by decay, trauma or gum disease.
By removing dead or infected nerve tissue within the tooth, we can not only repair teeth that would have needed removal but also stop pain and infection.
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1. Pain - In most cases, infected teeth are painful. This means that leaving an infected tooth in your mouth can lead to unbearable radiating or throbbing pain
2. Swelling - Most infected teeth have associated infections. If dead teeth are not treated, the infection can grow in size leading to swelling in your gums or face.
3. Damage to surrounding tissues - Infection and bacteria associated with a dead or infected tooth can begin to spread causing damage to adjacent structures such as teeth, bone and gums.
Root Canal Treatment is required when decay or bacteria infect the nerve of the tooth.
Here are some of the signs and symptoms to watch out for:
Severe pain from the affected tooth. This pain can often radiate to the eyes, head, ear or neck.
Sensitivity to hot or cold foods and drinks. This sensitivity often lingers long after the food or drink has been removed.
Swelling of the gums or face near the damaged tooth.
Discoloration of the affected tooth. Infected teeth can often appear dark, grey or black in color.
Pain on eating/chewing. It is often painful to apply pressure onto infected teeth.
Waking up in the middle of the night due to throbbing pains.
Root canal treatment usually takes place over 3 appointments which are spaced 2 weeks apart.
Appointment 1: During the first appointment, your dentist will make a small hole in the top of your tooth through which they will gain access into the nerve canal. From here, the dead and infected nerve will be removed and the canals within the tooth will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.
Appointment 2: During the second appointment, the canals within the tooth are cleaned further to prevent re-infections and most importantly they are shaped and widened using specialized equipment to allow for an easy filling.
Appointment 3: During the final appointment, the final filling is placed within the shaped canals of the tooth and an x-ray is taken to ensure the canals have been adequately filled. A permanent filling is then placed to seal off the tooth.
After your root canal treatment has been completed, your tooth will be both:
Although the tooth will no longer have any live nerves, the tooth will still stay in place and can be used to eat and smile just like any other tooth.
Our dentists highly recommend that any tooth that has undergone root canal treatment, be crowned as soon as possible.
This is because root canal-treated teeth are much weaker than virgin teeth and so have a higher chance of fracturing. A fracture, if below the gum may require tooth removal.
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The starting price for root canal treatment is around $1000. This being said, more complicated cases may be as much as $1800.
Although we aim to keep, our prices as competitive as possible, the price of a root canal varies based on the below factors:
We like to think of ourselves as your family dentist. We provide general dentistry for your day-to-day needs, and cosmetic dentistry for those looking to transform their smiles. Our commitment is to providing amazing dental care and making you feel as comfortable as possible!
If you need help, give us a call now!
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