Root Canal Therapy

Relief & Restoration

Persistent Pain Signals a Serious Situation

Your are made up of several layers: a protective outer enamel, a secondary layer of dentin, and a soft inner 'pulp' tissue. All the systems and structures required to keep your tooth alive are within this 'pulp' layer, including nerves, veins, arteries and lymph vessels. Then, to facilitate the ongoing activities within the tooth, between one and four 'root canals', or thin divisions, branch off from the top of each 'pulp' chamber down to the tip of the root.

If a deep cavity, traumatic injury, or fracture occurs in one of your teeth, bacteria can seep in, infect, and damage the pulp. In fact, the bacteria can even kill the pulp, stimulating increased blood flow and cellular activity, thereby building up tremendous pressure within the tooth itself. Unfortunately, this painful pressure cannot be relieved from inside the tooth. And that's just the beginning: without treatment, the infection will spread, leading to surrounding bone degeneration, eventual tooth loss, and even more pain. Initially, the person may only notice pain during biting or when taking in hot/cold foods or drinks; but untreated, the pain quickly becomes constant.

At this point, most people seek emergency dental care, but typically it's too late to save the tooth. So, your dentist may end up extracting it. Unfortunately, extraction has its own undesirable side effects: neighboring teeth can migrate into improper, crooked positions, leading to malocclusion or a poor bite. And in turn, a bad bite puts wear and tear on the entire dentition, leading to further dental problems down the road.

This unfortunate chain of events simply serves to warn about the necessity of seeing your dentist at the first sign of any pain in any of your teeth. If it's early enough, he or she can perform tests on the problem tooth and recommend root canal therapy by an endodontist.

Careful Cleaning & Restoration Renews Comfort

Hearing the words 'root canal' often strikes fear into dental patients. However, we use just the right amount and type of anesthesia needed to make the simple process as comfortable as possible. Typically, we'll need to see you for three appointments. The first step involves numbing the area, then isolating the problem tooth by placing a rubber sheet around it. Next, we'll drill a gap down from the crown into infected pulp chamber, clear out all the diseased pulp, and reshape the inside area. Dr. Weygandt may also insert bacteria-fighting medication. At this point, there are three options, depending on the extent of the problem: either seal the crown temporarily to guard against recontamination, leave it open to drain, or fill the canals.

If you're given a temporary filling, we'll probably remove it at a second visit, then fill the pulp chamber and canal with a rubber-like substance called gutta percha to prevent recontamination. If your tooth is weak, Dr. Weygandt may insert a metal post above the canal to reinforce it.

Once the cleaned out area is filled, your tooth is permanently sealed. As a last step, Dr. Weygandt will typically strengthen the tooth's structure and improve its appearance with a gold or porcelain crown.

Root canal treatments are successful over 95 percent of the time. In very rare instances, an overlooked diseased canal offshoot goes unnoticed, causing the case to be redone. Although you'll typically, notice a bit of tissue inflammation-related discomfort for a few days, it is generally controllable with over-the-counter analgesics. Dr. Weygandt will schedule a follow-up exam to monitor tissue healing. And over the long run, you'll want to avoid chewing on hard foods on that tooth, and of course, visit our office regularly for professional cleaning and preventive check-ups.

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