Root canal is a treatment to repair and save a badly damaged or infected tooth instead of removing it. The term "root canal" comes from cleaning of the canals inside a tooth's root. At Inwood Village Cosmetic & Implant Dentistry, we offer safe, comfortable root canal treatment that relieves toothache pain and dental sensitivity and saves teeth that may otherwise need to be extracted. If you’re concerned you may be in need of root canal treatment, don’t wait. Contact us right away. The sooner we get started repairing your smile the more likely we are to save your tooth.

Root canals are needed when tooth decay or damage reaches the innermost layer of the tooth, called the pulp. Inside the pulp, the nerve system of the tooth is housed. When the tooth’s nerve is irritated, the result can be severe toothache and dental sensitivity. We’ll need to remove the damaged pulp and nerve tissue to relieve pain and save your tooth from extraction. This treatment is known as root canal treatment.

Only a skilled dental professional can tell you for sure, but we typically treat root canals on an emergency basis. It’s important for patients to be aware of the warning signs and contact us immediately. Some of the common side effects related to a need for root canal treatment include:

• Severe toothache that can be a constant, dull throb or sharp pain when biting down
• Lingering sensitivity to changes in temperature
• Dark coloring around the gum line
• Swelling, inflammation, or infection in the soft tissue

Root canal treatment is a fairly straightforward treatment. We begin by numbing the area around the tooth to be treated. Then, we drill a small hole from the top of the tooth into the pulp layers. The entire pulp and nerve tissue is extracted. Then, we replace the extracted tissue with a biocompatible substance that keeps the tooth solid. The access hole is resealed. Then, the tooth is prepared for a dental crown. The crown will protect the tooth from any additional damage. In some cases, we may need to provide oral or topical antibiotics to remove infection in the tooth and gums. This may mean one or more additional visits to our office, but it’s essential to ensure your root canal treatment is successful.

Following root canal treatment, you may experience some minor swelling or mild discomfort. However, most patients report feeling significantly better than they did prior to treatment. If you do continue to experience sharp pains or sensitivity to changes in temperature, let us know immediately. This can be a sign of infection and other complications that can happen in rare cases.