Root Canal

Root canal therapy restores and saves an average of 17 million teeth each year. Keep your tooth and stop the pain - sounds better than a tooth extraction, right?

What is a root canal?

A root canal is a dental procedure that is used to remove diseased pulp tissue from the interior of a tooth. The narrow channels beneath the pulp chamber in the inner part of the tooth are hollowed out and cleaned, and the roots are filed with flexible nickel titanium files.

A root canal procedure involves tooth disinfection and the removal of all debris (nerve tissue, lymph tissue, blood tissue, bacteria and infection) from the coronal pulp chamber and its associated canals. Once an affected tooth's canals are sufficiently cleansed and shaped, they are filled with materials designed to prevent pain and infection from recurring.

Root Canal Signs

Certain signs may indicate that you have a diseased tooth or infected nerve and therefore may need a root canal. These signs include:

• Minimal to severe pain
• Tooth discoloration
• Swelling and irritation in the surrounding gum tissue
• Signs of infection visible on a radiograph