Root Canal Treatment: Your Guide To A Pain-Free Life

When you suffer from tooth decay, your dentist will make efforts to eliminate infection and restore the tooth through dental fillings. But often infection that involves the tooth pulp requires a bit more extensive procedure like root canal treatment. It offers

Root canal treatment offered by the family dentist in Lakeview, Chicago, is an excellent way of restoring a severely decayed tooth and preventing the need for extraction.

What is root canal treatment?

Root canal treatment (RCT) is a common endodontic procedure performed to restore decayed teeth with pulpal involvement. The pulp is the innermost mass of connective tissue within the central core of the tooth, comprising the blood vessels and nerves that provide nourishment.

It involves the removal of the pulp along the entire length of the tooth and replacing it with a biocompatible material such as gutta-percha. The procedure enables the tooth to be sealed completely and prevents reinfection.

What symptoms indicate the need for root canal treatment?

There are a few warning signs and symptoms that make it mandatory to undergo an RCT. These include:

Excruciating pain in the tooth that does not subside easily, even after taking medications
Increased sensitivity to heat and cold temperatures
Visibly swollen and bleeding gums
Presence of an abscess (pus-filled pocket) around the affected tooth
Swollen jaw causing facial asymmetry
Tooth discoloration
Pain while biting or chewing
A chipped or cracked tooth
Tooth mobility

How is root canal treatment performed?

Root canal treatment is a simple outpatient procedure performed in one or two sessions, depending on the extent of the pulpal infection. It involves the following steps:

Oral examination

Your dentist will check the affected tooth for pain, sensitivity, and gum changes. A dental X-ray will be taken to assess the extent of pulpal involvement and study the root morphology.

Cleaning the root canals

Your dentist will administer local anesthesia to numb the tooth, followed by isolating the tooth with a rubber dam. This helps prevent excess moisture. Next, using ultrasonic instruments, the decayed tissues will be excavated, and an access opening will be made to expose the roots. Your dentist will remove the entire pulp along the length of the root canals.

Biomechanical preparation and filling of the root canal

Later on, your dentist will clean, shape, and sterilize the canals using tiny files and irrigating solutions. The tooth will then be filled with a biocompatible material called gutta-percha, and an adhesive cement is used to seal everything together.

The RC-treated tooth will be sealed with dental cement and permanently restored with a crown or bridge. This can significantly regain your natural tooth to its original form, function, and aesthetics.