The Truth about Root Canals
A Root Canal treatment (also known as an endodontic treatment) is a dental procedure to remove inflamed or infected pulp inside of your tooth, which is then cleaned and disinfected, filled and sealed. The goal is to repair and save a badly damaged or infected tooth, instead of removing it. Root Canal treatment is designed to eliminate bacteria from an infected root canal, prevent reinfection of the tooth, and try to save your natural tooth. The term “Root Canal” comes from cleaning of the canals inside a tooth’s root. You don’t need to be overly worried if Dr. Galaif prescribes a Root Canal procedure to treat your damaged or diseased tooth. Millions of teeth are treated and saved this way each year, relieving pain and helping make teeth healthy again. Decades ago, Root Canal treatments were sometimes painful and often caused anxiety for some patients. With dental advances and local anesthetics, most people have little if any pain during their treatment. In reality, it’s typically much more painful to live with your decayed or decaying tooth.
Inside your tooth, beneath the white enamel and a hard layer called “dentin” is a soft tissue called “pulp.” The pulp extends from the crown (the visible part of your tooth) to the tip of the tooth’s root in the jawbone. This pulp tissue contains blood vessels, nerves and connective tissue, which help grow the root of your tooth during development.
When a tooth is cracked or chipped, or has a deep cavity, bacteria can enter the pulp. Injury to the tooth can also cause pulp damage and inflammation. A tooth’s nerve and pulp can become irritated, inflamed, and infected due to deep decay, and also because of trauma to the face. You might injure a tooth if you get hit in the mouth, and the pulp can still be damaged even if the injury doesn’t crack your tooth. Left untreated, bacteria and decaying material can cause a serious infection or a tooth “abscess,” leading to pulp death, bone loss and ultimately loss of the tooth itself. An abscess is a pus-filled pocket that forms at the end of the roots of the tooth, and happens when the infection spreads all the way past the ends of these roots.
A fully developed tooth can survive without the pulp, because the tooth continues to be nourished by tissues surrounding it. A tooth’s nerve is not vitally important to a tooth’s health and function, after your tooth has come through the gums. Its main function is sensory – to allow the sensation of hot or cold. The absence of a nerve won’t affect how your tooth works.
How to Know if You Need a Root Canal
A Root Canal treatment may be needed for a cracked tooth from injury or genetics, a deep cavity, or issues from a previous filling. Patients generally may need a Root Canal when they notice their teeth are sensitive, particularly to hot and cold sensations.
Here are potential symptoms that might indicate your need for a Root Canal procedure:
- Toothache or tooth pain, often severe pain while chewing or biting
- Swollen or tender gums
- Swelling that may spread to other areas of the face, neck, or head
- Lingering sensitivity to hot or cold, even after the sensation has been removed
- Pimples on the gums
- A chipped or a cracked tooth
- Bone loss around the tip of the root
- A hole through the side of your tooth, with drainage into your gums
- Drainage problems extending outward from the root, sometimes through the cheek with drainage into your skin
- Deep decay or darkening of the gums
A modern Root Canal treatment is actually pretty similar to a routine filling, dental specialists handle them every day and can usually complete the procedure in a single appointment, depending on the condition of your tooth and your personal circumstances.
Getting a Root Canal can be relatively painless, and extremely effective. In the majority of cases, Dr. Galaif performs Root Canals while you’re under local anesthesia. The root canal itself is generally a bit sore or numb after your procedure is completed, so you may experience mild discomfort for a few days. We will try to have you once again pain free as soon as possible – back to smiling, biting and chewing with ease in a timely manner.
Dr. Galaif is usually able to complete most Root Canal procedures within one office visit. In fact, we recently had a patient fly down from the Bay Area for his treatment. Dr Galaif was able to do a one visit root canal and build up, prepare the tooth for a crown, mill the crown and then cement the crown at the same time. Dr. Galaif was able to have this patient back on his flight home the same day!
Saving your natural tooth with Root Canal treatment has many advantages:
- Efficient Chewing
- Normal Biting Force & Sensation
- Natural Appearance
- Protection of Your Other Teeth from Excessive Wear or Strain
The Root Canal procedure will follow these steps:
- Dr. Galaif’s team will take an X-ray to see the shape of the root canal(s) and determine if there are any signs of infection in surrounding bone.
- Dr. Galaif will typically use local anesthesia to numb the area near the tooth.
- To keep the area dry and free of saliva during treatment, we will place a rubber dam (a sheet of rubber) around the tooth.
- The next step is drilling access into the tooth.
- The pulp, bacteria, and decayed nerve tissue are then removed from the tooth, and the area is cleaned out using a series of root canal files.
- As the work is done, water or sodium hypochlorite will be sprayed in the area to flush away the debris.
- Once the tooth is thoroughly cleaned, it will be sealed. If there is an infection, Dr, Galaif may put a medication inside your tooth to help clear that up.
- Once the pulp has been removed, Dr. Galaif may coat the area with a topical antibiotic to ensure the infection is gone, and to prevent reinfection.
- Dr. Galaif may also prescribe you oral antibiotics.
- If the root canal is not completed on the same day, a temporary filling is placed in the exterior hole in the tooth to keep out saliva and food between appointments.
- The final step is further restoration of the tooth –a crown, crown & post, other restoration to protect your tooth, prevent it from breaking, and restored to full function.
- Dr. Galaif will discuss the need for any additional dental work with you.
Recovery from a Root Canal
You will most likely be numb for 1 to 2 hours following your Root Canal treatment, and most of our patients are able to return to school or work directly following the procedure. We do advise against eating, until the numbness is completely gone.
After the procedure, your restored tooth with the new crown should work just like a natural tooth, and look cosmetically pleasing. If you follow good dental and oral hygiene, your restored tooth could last a long time. The first few days after your Root Canal treatment, the tooth may be sensitive due to tissue inflammation, especially if there was pain or infection prior to the procedure. This can usually be eased with over-the-counter pain medications such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve). If pain or pressure becomes extreme or lasts more than a few days, be sure to reach out to Dr. Galaif or someone on our team.
It may take several weeks for you to get used to how the tooth feels after your procedure. This is normal, and no cause for concern.
The Cost of a Root Canal
The cost of a Root Canal treatment varies depending on how complex the problem is, and which tooth is affected. Molars are more difficult to treat; so the corresponding fee is usually more. Most dental insurance policies provide some coverage for endodontic treatment. Generally, Root Canal treatment and restoration of your natural tooth will be less expensive than the alternative of having the tooth extracted. An extracted tooth must be replaced with an implant or bridge, to restore chewing function and prevent adjacent teeth from shifting. These procedures tend to cost more than endodontic treatment and necessary restoration.
Saving your natural teeth is always best option, if possible. Your natural teeth allow you to eat a wide variety of foods, necessary to maintain proper nutrition. The Root Canal procedure can help save your natural teeth. Alternatives include extracting the damaged tooth, no further treatment, or replacing the tooth with a dental implant, bridge or removable partial denture. These other options are typically more expensive than a Root Canal procedure, require more treatment time, and do not tend to have as positive a result for our patients.
Root Canal treatment is highly successful – the procedure has more than a 95% success rate. Many teeth fixed with a Root Canal can last a long time.
Root Canal Prevention
Since some of the reasons the nerve of your tooth and its pulp may become inflamed and infected due to deep decay, repeated dental procedures or large fillings, there are steps you can take to help avoid the need for a Root Canal:
- Brush your teeth at least twice every day.
- Floss at least once per day.
- Wear a mouth guard to avoid sports-related injury.
- Make regular appointments to see Dr. Galaif.
- Wear a night guard if you clench or grind your teeth.
Just as the rest of your teeth depend on good oral hygiene habits, your restored tooth requires regular brushing and flossing as well.
If you experience symptoms of a potential Root Canal, or any other oral health concerns or issues, please give us a call at (818) 789-6789 to make an appointment.
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