Root Canal Therapy

Root Canal Treatment

Root canal is a conventional treatment for severely infected teeth. Dentists perform this procedure when the infection has reached the nerve and blood vessels. An infected nerve or root causes a lot of pain, inflammation, and swelling. If you leave it untreated, the infection can reach your jawbone and cause permanent damage to it. At our St. Louis Park dental office, we provide expert root canal treatments to stem the infection and restore your oral health. You can call us or use the contact us form to schedule your complimentary consultation.

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What Is Root Canal Treatment?

Root canal treatment is the process of clearing all infected matter from a decayed root. Our dentist will remove the dental pulp, which contains all the nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissue. This clears the infection and leaves behind a clean, intact tooth.

A root canal helps patients retain the entirety or portion of their natural tooth, which saves them the trouble of getting an implant or dental crowns. Many people are intimidated by this procedure, but it is simple and not painful either.

Step-By-Step Look at Root Canal Treatment

We always make sure our patients are comfortable with their treatment and know what is involved in it. Here’s a step-by-step look at the treatment to help answer any questions you may have regarding the procedure:

Accessing

A root canal is an endodontic procedure, which means the treatment takes place inside the tooth. Our dentist will drill a small hole on the surface of the root to access the interior pulp. We provide local anesthesia to numb any pain you might experience during this process.

Cleaning

Our dentist then uses a series of small files to carefully remove all the diseased pulp and tissue from inside the tooth. We make sure there is no decayed material left inside to cause future infections. The tooth interior is clean and isn’t at risk of developing further decay.

Filling the Root

We can’t just leave an empty space inside the tooth, as that will make it more vulnerable to cracks and breaks. Our dentist will a special rubber-like dental filling in the cavity and make sure the space is filled. They will then use dental cement to fill the hole they created at the beginning of the procedure to close the tooth completely.

Adding a Crown

The natural dental pulp ensures your teeth are strong and able to handle tough or hard food items. It is difficult to keep the teeth healthy and nourished after the pulp is removed. That’s why it is important to add a filling or crown to protect the natural dental matter. This stops the tooth from becoming brittle and fragile over time.

Once the pulp is removed from the tooth cavity, it is dead and no longer at risk. You won’t experience any pain or infection in that particular tooth in the future.

Is Root Canal Treatment Painful?

A root canal will reduce any pain you might have as a result of the decay. The procedure itself doesn’t cause much trouble as most of the pain comes from the infected tissue. If you wait until the decay has reached the nerves, the root canal therapy might be a little painful. If you get the treatment early, the entire experience will be relatively painless.

Our dentist will administer local anesthesia around the tooth to numb it. This ensures the entire treatment is painless. You will experience some soreness after the anesthesia wears off, but that can be treated with over-the-counter painkillers.

We will also prescribe antibiotics to stem the possibility of infection as the inflamed area around the tooth heals over time. Once the procedure is done and the site treated, you won’t experience any pain.

If you want to know more about root canal treatment or other related procedures, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at Excel Dentistry.