Root Canal Therapy, Extractions and Minor Oral Surgery & Wisdom Teeth
Root Canal Therapy
Root canal therapy is the sequence of steps taken to treat the diseased pulp of a tooth. Root canal can save a tooth from extraction.
At the center of your tooth and in the canals of the root or roots is the pulp. The pulp consists of the nerve that provides sensation to the tooth, and blood vessels that keep the tooth vital (alive). The pulp tissue can become inflamed or infected due to decay, trauma to the tooth or cracks and chips. Symptoms of inflammation or infection can be identified as sensitivity to temperature, pain on biting, and spontaneous pain in the tooth and/or swelling of the gum tissue surrounding the tooth
When the pulp is irreversibly inflamed (irreversible pulpitis) or infected, it becomes necessary to access the inside of the tooth to remove the dead or unhealthy tissue. We clean and disinfect the canals within the roots where the pulp tissue has been removed to eliminate as much of the pain and infection-causing bacteria as we can.
How is a root canal performed?
- The tooth is anesthetized with local anesthetic to make you comfortable.
- Rubber dam is placed to isolate the tooth from the rest of the mouth.
- An opening is made through the crown of the tooth.
- The pulp is removed, and the root canals are cleaned, enlarged and shaped.
- The infected area is medicated.
- The root canals are filled.
- The crown opening is filled with a temporary material.
- This therapy usually may be completed in two or three visits depending on the treatment required.
Once it has been determined that the root canal therapy has been successful, it is often advised that a permanent crown be placed to seal the tooth, preventing future bacterial invasion of the cleaned canals. Crowning the tooth also prevents the tooth from breaking down or splitting.
The success depends on a case-by-case basis. Root canal treatment with a general dentist has an approximately 80% success rate over a ten year period if the tooth is crowned shortly afterwards. In some cases root canal treatment is complicated and you may need referral to a specialist endodontist. If your tooth is not amenable to endodontic treatment or the chance of success is unfavourable, we inform you at the time of consultation, or when a complication becomes evident during or after treatment. In this case you will need to have the tooth extracted.
Most patients report root canal therapy is painless.
Extractions and minor oral surgery
Extractions may be necessary when a tooth has undergone severe damage from decay, trauma or infection and can no longer be restored. We perform both straightforward and more complex extractions at our practice.
We try to ensure the maximum comfort for our patents at all times including during extractions.
Wisdom Teeth
Wisdom teeth are often the source of dental pain, decay and infection as they are often difficult to clean and they may sometimes be impacted (blocked) by the other teeth, which prevents them from erupting normally. After examining the wisdom tooth/teeth, your dentist will determine whether an extraction is necessary for you. We extract fully erupted and simple to remove wisdom teeth and refer more complicated impacted or unerupted wisdom teeth to our local oral surgeon colleagues for removal.
