Root Canals

A Root Canal is a common term for Endodontic treatment of a tooth with a bad nerve. Bad Press and Movies hail this as the worst of the worst in dentistry. Actually a tooth treated with endodontics (root canal) relieves pain.

The need for a root canal is usually because the internal nerve in the tooth is dead, abcessed, inflamed and or partially alive. Root Canal treatment removes and cleans the central spaces of a tooth. The tooth is then filled with a rubber like material called Gutta Percha. The tooth then is filled temporarily and waits for a strengthening post and internal core and then a final restorative crown.

Endodontic treatment does not guarantee the tooth will stay in forever. There is no longer an internal nourishment system for the tooth structure and they can develop cracks. This is the reason we put a crown over the balance of the tooth to keep it safe under chewing pressure.

If the tooth is solid in the bone, a root canal is the best way to save a tooth. Implants are fast becoming a viable alternative to compromised endodontically treated teeth.