Root Canal

When teeth become damaged by deep decay, broken or infected a specialist root canal treatment is required.

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Root canal treatment, also known as endodontics, is a procedure to remove the infection that is causing tooth damage and pain. If left untreated extreme painful symptoms may occur.

The infection at the centre of a tooth (the root canal) is caused by bacteria that lives in the mouth and invades the tooth. This can happen from tooth decay, leaky fillings or from a damaged tooth.

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The structure of a tooth contains two main parts, the crown which is the top part of the tooth and the root which extends into the bone of the jaw and anchors the tooth into position.

Teeth also consist of an enamel which is the hard outer coating, a dentine the soft bone-like material that supports the enamel and the dental pulp which is the soft tissue that contains nerves and blood vessels at the centre of the tooth.

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The root canal system contains the dental pulp and extends from the crown of the tooth to the end of the root. This path is known as the root canal and in some cases a tooth could contain more than one root canal.

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A dental x-ray will show if the pulp has been damaged by a bacterial infection. 

Symptoms may include pain when eating or drinking hot or cold food and drinks, painful when biting or the tooth is loose. If the pulp is infected is cannot heal by itself. 

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To treat the infection in the root canal, the bacteria needs to be removed, which either requires the removal of the bacteria from the root canal system (root canal treatment), or the removal of the tooth (an extraction). 

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Our root canal specialist at Dental on Marion are experienced and highly skilled.