Endodontics Root Canal
If your tooth hurts when eating or drinking, or you experience increased sensitivity, you may have an infection of your root canal. Sydney Smile Care can treat your infected root canal to alleviate discomfort and restore your smile.
What is a Root Canal?
Root canal therapy is a procedure that treats severe tooth infection. The infection is caused by deep decay that allows bacteria to enter the tooth’s root canal. The root canal contains the pulp, nerves, and blood vessels that supply nutrients to the tooth.
Root canal therapy involves removing the infected areas, the pulp, sealing the hole, and replacing the tooth with a temporary restoration. This ensures that the infection does not spread to nearby tissues and saves the tooth from extraction.
Why Do I Need a Root Canal?
If you have severe dental decay and infection, you may experience intense discomfort accompanied by swelling and headaches, preventing you from working or even completing simple daily tasks.
If the infection reaches the pulpal chamber, it can spread to surrounding soft and hard tissues and even potentially enter the bloodstream, affecting other areas of the face, head and the body.
What Happens if it is Left Untreated?
Left untreated, an infected root canal can form an abscess at the base of the tooth root. This pus-filled sac can erode the jawbone, causing tooth loss.
Sydney Smile Care offers solutions to your endodontic needs with affordability, so as to prevent the spread of the infection.
How is an Infected Root Canal Diagnosed?
The signs and symptoms of a root canal infection are similar to those of a toothache and can include:
– a sharp, stinging sensation
– a dull, throbbing ache
– discomfort that radiates from the jaw to the top of the head
– swelling and tenderness, and
– bad breath
However, for a more efficient diagnosis, Sydney Smile Care endodontics uses in-house x-ray units and the state-of-the-art 3D CBCT digital imaging technology that scans the teeth, soft tissue, and nerves to detect the presence of damage or infection.
The Root Canal Procedure
Root canal therapy at our practice consists of three stages. Before the procedure, your dentist applies a local anaesthetic to numb the area. If you suffer from dental anxiety, we also offer IV sedation and relative analgesia to ensure your comfort.
During the first stage, the dentist uses manual and rotary handpieces to open the tooth crown to access the pulp chamber. The pulp and infected tissue is removed to expose the root canal, which is shaped to facilitate more effective endodontic therapy.
The final stage of the treatment is known as obturation and consists of filling the root canal with a rubber resin called gutta-percha. This compound seals the tooth root, stabilising the structure, and preventing further decay. The crown is then filled with a colour-matched mercury-free filling, usually at a subsequent appointment.
Depending on the level of work needed, you may require an artificial ceramic or porcelain crown to provide structural integrity to the tooth.
Root Canal Therapy Aftercare
Immediately after the treatment, you may still feel the effects of the anaesthesia, so it is important not to eat or drink extremely hot substances, and avoid chewing on that side of your mouth to prevent injury.
After your root canal therapy, the affected tooth should no longer cause you any discomfort. However, you may experience some increased sensitivity for several days following treatment. To alleviate any discomfort, use over-the-counter medications and desensitising toothpaste when you brush in the morning and evening.
If you experience persistent discomfort even after taking medication, or the area begins to swell, contact your dentist immediately. This may occur due to an additional small canal that may still have a remaining infection.
Visit Sydney Smile Care For a Root Canal
If you experience severe dental discomfort and live in Sydney’s Inner West, you may need a root canal. Sydney Smile Care is an accredited and registered ADA member and offers gentle root canal therapy using cutting-edge technology.
Call Sydney Smile Care at (02) 9747 1988 to book your appointment for root canal therapy and restore the health of your smile.
Note: Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks.
Note: Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks.