The root canal or nerve canal of your tooth contains soft tissue (pulp) as well as nerve tissue. This can become infected and painful, requiring treatment.
The most common cause of root canal infection is a cavity or hole in the tooth. There are number of other reasons that can cause infection in the root canal of the tooth. These include:
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deep, untreated cavities;
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cavities underneath fillings;
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cavities forming in broken or loose fillings;
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accidents (including road or sports accidents);
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gum disease; and
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habitual night time teeth grinding.
Good oral hygiene will minimise and prevent root canal infection. It is also important to have regular dental check-ups. If the dentist detects tooth decay when it first appears, they can repair and fill the tooth.
If the cavity is not treated the decay will become bigger and may reach the nerve canal or root canal. Once the infection reaches the pulp or the root canal of your tooth, it can be painful. You may experience a throbbing toothache and even swelling of the face. The tooth also can become loose due to bone loss around the roots of the tooth.
Root canal treatment is where a filling replaces the infected tooth pulp. The main purpose of root canal therapy is to relieve pain caused by an infected nerve. The root canal treatment can save the tooth and restore it back to its full function and appearance. Our root canal dentist can help relieve your pain. The steps our dentists take when they perform root canal treatment include:
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Our gentle dentists numb the infected tooth.
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To isolate the tooth from saliva and infection, the dentist places a rubber dam.
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The dentist will find the root canals in the tooth and clean them. We use special anti-bacterial solutions to kill and remove all bacteria in the root canals. The root canal cleaning process may take 2-4 visits to the dentist. The number of visits depends on the severity of the infection in the root canals.
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When cleaning the root canals, the dentist will determine their length using digital x-rays.
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Once the canals are cleaned, the dentist use special material to fill and seal the root canals.
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After root canal treatment, the root filled tooth may become weak and the tooth may fracture. A porcelain crown will prevent the tooth from fracturing. The dentist at Mosa Dental and Cohuna dental will assess the tooth and may or may not place a porcelain crown.
Root canal therapy is a complex procedure but has a high success rate. If you would like to discuss root canal therapy, please contact our dentist in Cohuna. Depending on staff availability, we may be able to provide emergency root canal treatment.