How is it performed? of Root canal treatment

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Root canal surgery is usually carried out under local anaesthetic although in some cases where the tooth has clearly died and is not sensitive this may not be necessary. Local anaesthetics will not work in an infected area and your dentist will usually give you antibiotics to settle the infection first and start treatment about a week later.

Your dentist will first open the tooth through the crown (the flat top part) of the tooth, so that the pulp chamber can be accessed. Any remaining tooth pulp is then removed.

Once the pulp has been removed, the remaining root canal will be cleaned and enlarged so that it can easily be filled. The root canals are normally an oval shape and may be very fine and difficult to fill. Your dentist will use a series of small files to enlarge the canals and make them a regular shape so the root filling can be placed. The treatment may take several hours to complete and may be carried out in one or several visits.

Generally, the front, incisor and canine teeth have one canal, premolars have two canals and the back molar teeth have three. The more roots a tooth has the longer the treatment will take to complete.

If the treatment is carried out over several visits your the dentist may put a small amount of medication in the cleaned canal in between visits to help clear up any remaining germs and bacteria. The tooth will then be sealed with a temporary filling. You may also be given antibiotics to manage and prevent further infection.

Once the root canal has been cleaned out and shaped, the root filling will be sealed tightly into the root canal. The tooth may then be restored with a filling.

Root-filled teeth are more brittle than live ones and in some cases your dentist may suggest placing a crown on the tooth to protect what remains of the tooth structure. In some cases a root-filled tooth may darken, particularly if it has died as a result of a blow and there are several ways for your dentist to treat this.

Root canal treatment is usually very successful. However, if the infection comes back the treatment can be repeated.