My Dentist

Center For Complete Dental Care


Root Canal


Why on earth do I need a Root Canal?
Relax, a Root Canal treatment is no big deal...more importantly, it is virtually a pain free treatment. Earlier, a badly infected tooth, or one that just had significant decay, was doomed to be extracted. Today, majority of these teeth can be salvaged by the Root Canal treatment.

Tell tale signs that you need a Root Canal Treatment
Some indications of the need for root canal treatment may be:
-Spontaneous pain or throbbing while biting
-Sensitivity to hot and cold foods
-Severe decay or an injury that creates an abscess (infection) in the bone

ABC of a Root Canal Treatment
To start with, a Root Canal Treatment is not as painful as it is projected to be. Now a days there are safe and advanced techniques available to provide a pain relief before, during and after the treatment. If treated early, root canal therapy need not be uncomfortable. Use of local anesthetics can make the entire procedure can be totally painless. Your tooth may have around 2-4 nerves. The nerves are the living part in the tooth which becomes extremely sensitive when infected. Root Canal is all about the removal of the infected or irritated nerve tissue that lies within the root of the tooth. It is this infected pulp tissue that causes an eventual abscess.



The first step in a root canal is to obtain access to the nerve. This is accomplished by establishing a small access opening in the top of the tooth. All this will be done under local anesthesia. The length of the root canal is determined and the infected pulp is removed. The canal where the nerve is located will be reshaped and prepared to accept a special root canal filling material. The final step in your root canal will be the sealing of the root canal with a sterile material. This is done in order to prevent possible future infection.

OK, count me in. But how much time its gonna take?
You may be required to visit your dentist 2-3 times for the Root Canal treatment. The number of visits necessary to complete your root canal will depend upon several factors including the number of nerves in the tooth, the infected state of the nerve, and the complexity of the procedure.