We May Recommend Root Canals
Our team of dentists works hard to give you the best oral health possible. We recommend two examinations each year so we can note any changes in your mouth and offer advice on how to best care for your teeth and gums.
However, in the time we do not see you, the state of your mouth may change and the pulp of your teeth may become inflamed or infected—if this happens we need to see you right away. In this situation, if we can save the tooth rather than pull it out, we will recommend a root canal procedure.
Root Canal Diagnosis
During your examination, we take X-rays to get a better understanding of what is happening below the surface of your teeth.
We need to treat root canals immediately to help you feel better and to avoid further oral health problems caused by an infection inside of your teeth. Treating sooner than later gives us a greater opportunity to save the tooth. If a tooth needs to be removed, it can cause other teeth to drift out of place and introduce jaw problems.
Inflamed and Infected Tooth Nerves
The root canal system is the space inside the hard layers of your teeth. Bacteria can enter cracks in your teeth or through flawed fillings and get into the interior soft pulpy area that is made up of the tooth’s nerves and blood vessels. If bacteria reach this space it can cause the tooth to become abscessed—an infection in the pulp of the tooth which causes pain and swelling. The infected pulp needs to be removed when this happens.
Root Canal Treatment at Admiral House
Root canals, or endodontic therapy, is a routine procedure for our dental team and it is very effective and safe. Before root canal treatment, we will brief you on the procedure and take any of your questions. Once you are informed of the process, you will be given local anesthesia to numb any pain. We place a dam around the tooth to keep the area clean during the procedure and we create an opening in the tooth so we can access the root canal.
We use radiographic imaging and specialised equipment to remove the infected pulp from inside the tooth’s crown and roots. We thoroughly clean the area and disinfect the root canal to be certain that the infection is gone. The area is sealed with a material called gutta-percha, which is a natural rubber-like material that fills and blocks off the opening in the tooth to prevent future infection. To protect your tooth, our dentists fill the area with a permanent filling or crown, depending on what the treatment warrants.
The cost of root canal treatments at our UK dental practice is listed in our fee schedule. Please get in touch if you have any questions about the cost or process of root canal treatment at Admiral House.
Root Canal Treatment Aftercare
Following a root canal, the area may be tender for up to two weeks. It is not common to experience bad pain or swelling, if this happens, please call us immediately. Continue to follow our guidelines on proper oral healthcare for your mouth but you may need to brush and floss more gently around the treated area until the tenderness goes away.
If you have any questions before or after treatment, please let us know so we can address them while you are in the office.