So you need a Root Canal......

                                         
If so....... well, you're not alone. Millions of teeth are treated and saved each year with root canal therapy or what is referred to as endodontic treatment. This explains what a root canal treatment is in detail and how it can relieve your tooth pain and save your smile. 

I will try to explain why a root canal is necessary for your tooth and what the signs are for you to look for. A tooth that you are experiencing pain, prolonged sensitivity to heat or cold, tenderness to touch or chewing, discoloration of the tooth, swelling, drainage and/or tenderness in the lymph nodes as well as nearby bone and gum tissues needs a root canal. Endodontic treatment is necessary when the pulp, the soft tissue inside the root canal, becomes inflamed or infected. The inflammation or infection can have a variety of causes: deep decay repeated dental procedures on the tooth or a crack or chip in the tooth. In addition, an injury to a tooth may cause pulp damage even if the tooth has no visible chips or cracks. If pulp inflammation or infection is left untreated, it can cause pain or lead to an abscess.  Now that is not to say that sometimes, however, you may have a tooth where there are no symptoms.  This may indicate that the nerve in the tooth is already dead and an infection has not have set in yet.

What I do is remove the inflamed or infected pulp, carefully clean and shape the inside of the root canal, then fill and seal the space. Afterward, you will return to my office at a later date have a post/core placed followed by a crown. After restoration, the tooth continues to function like any other tooth.