Root Canal Treatment: What It Is, Who Needs It and the Procedure

Contrary to what most people believe, a root canal procedure is not meant to be a painful and traumatizing affair. This dental procedure can be used by our endodontist near you to save your teeth if you are suffering from severe tooth decay or infection.

Our dentist in Eldorado Hills, CA, utilizes this endodontic procedure to try and save our patients’ natural teeth and restore their smiles. Ideally, this procedure involves removing bacteria and dead or decaying tissues within the root canal of an infected tooth to save it and rule out any chances of reinfections.

Developments within the dental field have transformed a root canal treatment into a less painful dental experience, which can be executed by our endodontist near you in very few dental visits.

What Is a Root Canal Procedure?

Root canal treatment is an endodontic procedure, which is used in repairing a severely damaged or infected tooth. This procedure entails removing the affected pulp area within the tooth, cleaning, and sanitizing the hollow area left before filling and sealing it off.

A damaged pulp within a root canal can be attributed to several factors that may include:

• A cracked tooth
• Multiple dental treatments that have affected the root canal
• Trauma
• A severe cavity
• Large amounts of tooth fillings

What Indicates That You Need to Get a Root Canal Treatment?

These are some of the symptoms that may prompt our dentist in Eldorado Hills, CA, to recommend you for root canal therapy:

• If you are experiencing long periods of tooth sensitivity even when you are not exposed to any hot or cold substances
• Unbearable toothaches whenever you chew or eat
• A discolored or darkened tooth
• Pimples on the gums that keep on reappearing persistently
• Swollen gums around the affected tooth

What to Expect During a Root Canal Procedure

This procedure is ideally carried out in four steps and will require at least two dental visits to complete

• Step 1

Our dentist will administer local anesthesia to numb the site and ensure you are comfortable and pain-free during the duration of the procedure. Then a dental dam will be placed around the affected tooth to isolate it and ensure it stays clean and dry during the process.

• Step 2

Next, a small access point will be drilled in at the top part of the tooth to allow for entry into the tooth canal. The endodontist will then use small files and an irrigating system to remove all diseased and damaged tissue within the root canal and clean up the root canal.

After shaping the root canal chamber and washing it out, depending on the severity of the infection present, our dentist might apply an antimicrobial within the hollow chamber. This is done to kill any bacteria left and cut back on the chances of future reinfection.

• Step 3

After the chamber has dried up, our endodontist will use a rubbery material known as gutta-percha to fill it in. The access point made earlier on is sealed up with a temporary filling to hold you off before you get your permanent crown.

• Step 4

A few weeks later, our dentist will schedule you in for another visit to fit in your permanent crown and finish your root canal treatment. Depending on how strong your natural tooth is, our dentist may need to reinforce the crown or restoration using a metal post placed within the root canal.

What Is the Difference Between a Root Canal and a Crown?

The root canal vs. crown debate is always quite a confusing one for most patients who need to get root canal therapy. This is because most patients wrongly believe that if our dentist recommends you get a crown that it automatically means you are getting a root canal treatment.

A root canal is a treatment method that endodontists use to get rid of diseased pulp within an infected tooth. While a crown is a restorative option that our endodontist will use on your tooth after a root canal procedure to protect your tooth, reinforce it, and restore its functionality.

You can get a crown set in without necessarily having a root canal treatment.

Does a root canal hurt? Well, despite what most people think, this is not the case. It is a pain-relieving treatment. Because it allows our dentist to remove all nerve endings within the infected pulp, thus eradicating any pain you would have been experiencing before the procedure.

The entire process is carried out under anesthesia so that you will be pain-free and comfortable the whole time.

At El Dorado Hills Town Center Dental, we are focused on ensuring your root canal procedure will be a pain-free affair.