Root Canal Therapy

Maintaining a healthy smile goes beyond healthy dental habits. Your oral health plays an important role in your overall wellbeing, so visiting a dentist regularly is an important part of staying healthy. When you notice pain, sensitivity and other unpleasant symptoms, it’s time to visit Distinctive Dental Solutions. Our team utilizes state-of-the-art dental technology to treat and prevent common oral diseases. If you’re facing severe tooth decay, our team can treat it using a number of effective procedures, including root canal therapy.

What is Root Canal Therapy, and What is it Used For?

Root canal therapy, also called endodontic therapy, is a treatment that eliminates infection inside your teeth. There are times when a tooth infection spreads to the tooth’s pulp, which is the soft part inside the enamel containing blood, nerves and connective tissue. When this happens, an abscess forms, causing intense pain, swelling and sensitivity. As the infection spreads, you may experience a fever and feel generally unwell. If you believe you have an abscess, call our team immediately.

The goal of root canal therapy is to remove the infected pulp to eliminate the infection. Here’s how the process works:

• Diagnosis. Before we proceed with root canal therapy, we will examine your tooth and test it for tenderness and swelling. We may do a dental pulp test or a radiograph to confirm an infection. 
• Opening the Crown. After numbing your mouth with a local anesthetic, we begin the procedure. In order to remove the infected pulp, we will need to open the crown of your tooth. This step involves creating a small hole in the enamel. 
• Removing the Pulp Tissue. Using special dental tools, we carefully remove the infected tissue. 
• Irrigation. Once the infected pulp is removed, we clean the inside of the tooth to get rid of any remaining bacteria, which helps prevent reinfection. 
• Filling. After all of the bacteria and infection is removed, we fill and seal the tooth. 

Don’t worry if our dentists recommend root canal therapy. Millions of individuals undergo this procedure every year, as it’s a safe, reliable way to treat a tooth infection. Our team is committed to upholding the highest standards of dental care. We do everything we can to ensure your procedure goes smoothly.       

What to Expect

Root canal therapy typically lasts about an hour, with appointments ranging from 30 to 90 minutes, depending on the infection’s complexity. In general, root canal therapy does not cause significant pain. There may be some discomfort following the treatment, but many individuals compare it to a typical tooth filling. Your mouth will be numb for several hours after the procedure, and you will need to take care of the treated tooth in the days following. We will also schedule a follow-up appointment to make sure your tooth is healing properly.