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A severe tooth ache is often an indication that the tooth's nerve has become infected.
With early intervention, root canal therapy can help clear the infection, save the tooth and avoid an unnecessary extraction.
Learn more about the root canal procedure below, and how our West End dentists and Ascot dentists can resolve your toothache.
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A tooth infection can lead to more than just a severe toothache.
Not only can it cause irreversible damage to the surrounding jawbone, but the infection can even spread to other parts of the body with potentially life-threatening complications.
Root canal therapy is a specialised procedure that involves removing the infection from inside the tooth, including all root canals, before sealing the tooth chamber to prevent reinfection.
With root canal therapy, our dentists in Ascot and West End can save your infected tooth from an unnecessary extraction, helping to聽preserve your natural smile.
A tooth becomes infected when bacteria attacks its dental pulp.
Dental pulp is the soft, living tissue inside the central pulp chamber and root canals of every tooth. Since the pulp contains nerves and blood vessels, when it gets infected it can cause intense pain.
Bacteria usually reaches the pulp through cavities caused by deep tooth decay or via the tooth鈥檚 root system when advanced gum disease is present in the surrounding tissue.
Symptoms of a tooth infection include:
If left untreated, a tooth infection will advance from the pulp chamber to the root tips, creating a localised periapical abscess filled with pus.
Once an abscess has formed, the bacteria will begin to destroy the jawbone and cause the infected tooth to become loose.
The infection can even spread to the rest of the body, with life-threatening complications such as sepsis.
Fortunately, with early intervention, root canal therapy can save the infected tooth, provided bone loss is minimal and the tooth is still stable.
If you experience any symptoms of a tooth infection or abscess, seek urgent treatment from our Ascot or West End dental clinics.
There are three stages to a root canal procedure.
At le tooth, our Brisbane dentists are highly experienced in performing root canal procedures. We use advanced dental technology to ensure your treatment is precise, efficient, and comfortable at every step.
Every tooth is unique, and so the number, location and trajectory of each root canal must be identified in advance to ensure the infection can be thorougly removed.
We begin by taking high-resolution digital X-rays and, where necessary, 3D CBCT scans to visualise the internal structure of your tooth.
By mapping out the treatment, we can provide a more predictable and successful outcome.
Once the tooth and surrounding areas have been numbed with local anaesthesia, a small access hole is created in the crown of the tooth, which helps drain any abscess present.
The decayed and infected pulp is then removed from the tooth, before the central chamber and root canals are carefully cleaned, disinfected and shaped in preparation for sealing.
Once the infection has been removed, the root canals and pulp chamber are filled with a bio-compatible material to hermetically seal them against reinfection.
Our Ascot and West End dentists then restore the outside of the tooth with a dental filling or a dental crown, depending on its remaining structural integrity.
A tooth that has been heavily filled in the past to address tooth decay is more likely to require the protection of a crown.
After a root canal procedure, the tooth is no longer 'alive' since the pulp, which contains the nerves and blood supply, has been removed. Without this nourishment, the tooth can become more brittle and prone to fracture.
A custom-fit, dental crown provides the additional strength needed to withstand the daily pressures of biting and chewing, ensuring the tooth you have just saved continues to function for years to come.
When it comes to root canal therapy, these are some of the most common questions our patients in Brisbane ask us.
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