Root Canal Treatment in Winston Hills, NSW
What Is Root Canal Treatment?
Root canal treatment saves a tooth with an infected, inflamed or dead pulp and nerve to prevent the infection from spreading and relieve painful symptoms. Any infection is dangerous to your health, and an infection in the tooth can feel particularly uncomfortable.
If you’ve been told you need a root canal treatment, you are probably feeling apprehensive about it. Please don’t worry – you are in good hands. Baulkham Hills dentist Dr Martina Lavery is experienced and skilled in providing root canal treatment in the most painless of ways.
Most importantly – root canal treatment relieves pain; it doesn’t cause it.
Why Do I Need a Root Canal?
The nerve and pulp inside the tooth can become inflamed or infected by deep tooth decay, multiple dental procedures on the same tooth (i.e. replacing large fillings or crowns) or trauma such as a crack, chip or broken root. Gum disease can also progress to the point that root canal treatment becomes necessary.
Why Is My Tooth Sore?
As with infection anywhere in the body, your infected tooth will likely become inflamed and uncomfortable. It is important to remember that anytime you have dental pain, it is an indication that something is wrong that requires professional treatment.
Most dental conditions only feel painful once they have advanced. Untreated root canals are active infections, and in some cases, can become life-threatening.
Bacteria inside the nerve cause swelling and pressure inside the tooth, which cannot be released. Dr Lavery describes this as the ‘pressure cooker effect’, which leads to intense pain. The nerve and pulp die, which causes an infection in the bone near the root tip.
What Is the Process of Root Canal Therapy Treatment?
Local anaesthetic makes the procedure comfortable so that it feels no different than a filling or other restoration. Flexible, precision instruments remove the diseased tissue from inside the canal. Dr Lavery will disinfect the canal with antiseptic solutions. At an additional appointment, the root canal system is filled with a biocompatible, inert plastic filling.
We typically restore root canal-treated teeth using a dental crown, as they are very brittle and fracture easily if not restored properly after root canal treatment. The crown also provides a protective seal so that there is less likelihood of the root canal becoming contaminated again.
Root canal treatment saves teeth!
What Does Root Canal Treatment Cost?
Every tooth has a different anatomy with a different number of roots and nerves. Dr Lavery will assess your tooth and give you an itemised treatment plan prior to starting root canal treatment.