Root Canal Therapy
Root canals have long been one of the most feared procedures in dentistry.
Today, dentistry has evolved to the point where root canal therapy is no longer the complicated procedure it once was. It’s time to look past the bad reputation of the root canal and see it for the valuable, pain-relieving solution it is.
Root Canal Therapy
The root canal is the area of the tooth that houses the pulp and the nerve. Sometimes this part of the tooth can become infected.
When this happens, not only is the tooth extremely painful and sensitive, the infection can also spread to other areas of the mouth and other teeth. The most effective way to treat this infection is root canal therapy.
Once the anesthetic takes hold, and you are completely numb, we will create a small hole in your tooth. Working through the hole, we drain the infected material along with the pulp and any other debris. We thoroughly clean the interior of the tooth to make sure that no infection is left. An antibiotic medication may be placed inside the tooth to prevent further infection.
Your tooth will then be filled and a cap or crown will be placed. This is necessary because the structure of the tooth will be weakened, and a restoration will protect the tooth from breakage and also allow you to chew comfortably.
Do I Need a Root Canal?
If you have been experiencing any of these signs or symptoms, call our office immediately. You may have an infection and could require treatment.
- Severe pain in one or more teeth
- Pain that is aggravated by chewing or other pressure
- Pain and sensitivity aggravated by hot or cold temperatures
- Darkening of one or more teeth
- A raised bump on the gums
- Swelling and tenderness in the gums that may radiate to the cheek
Call our office to make an appointment. Root canal therapy may be necessary to get rid of your pain and reduce your stress.
Frequently Asked Questions
When the interior of your tooth is infected, it can cause a lot of pain and is likely to damage the nerve. If left untreated, the infection could spread to other teeth. Root canal therapy removes the infection and relieves the pain, restoring the tooth and allowing us to save it.
Meet Our Doctor:
Cathy H Cheng DDS, PhD
General Dentist, Owner of MI Smile Family Dental
While she found her research work extremely ...
Root Canal Therapy Technology
CBCT X-rays
Traditional x-ray techniques only provide a two dimensional picture of a three dimensional object. What the CBCT (Cone Beam Computed Tomography) gives us, is a three-dimensional view of the bones, teeth, and other hard tissue, thereby allowing us to get a comprehensive view of areas that may have been hidden in traditional two dimensional imaging. There’s no longer a need to guess about the three-dimensional shape of tissues on the basis of a flat x-ray image. The CBCT allows a dentist to get more detailed information about structures within the tooth and jaw bone, making it essential for modern Endodontics (root canal therapy), dental implant planning and detection of root fractures.