Decayed tooth giving severe toothache?
Root Canal Therapy (also known as Endodontic treatment) can save your tooth severely damaged by decay, infection or trauma. Instead of losing your natural tooth, you can discuss a root canal treatment plan with our dentist at Leumeah Dental Surgery. One myth about the procedure is it’s painful! Contrary to this, Root Canal Treatment (RCT) is the most preferred treatment approach and the most performed dental treatment for a decayed tooth.
What is a Root Canal?
Like any part of our body, our tooth has nerves and blood vessels in the deepest area of the tooth – the pulp. When dental decay or caries reaches the pulp of your tooth, that is when you experience pain. If the tooth is left untreated for a long time, the infection can deteriorate the pulp & nerve within the tooth, which may cause these symptoms:
- Severe tooth pain
- Sensitivity to hot or cold
- Bad breath
- Unpleasant taste in the mouth
- Discolour of tooth or spots on a tooth
The key purpose of the Root Canal Treatment is to remove the infectious pulp from the tooth’s Root Canal (now you know why this treatment is called Root Canal Therapy!), disinfect and fill the canal with a material to restore the crown portion of the tooth to its original form.
Possible Symptoms indicating a need for Root Canal Treatment
Generally, if your tooth has a cavity, decay, infection or any other damage, it may cause severe toothache, sensitivity, bad breath or an unpleasant taste in the mouth. In such cases, the treatment can help to restore your oral health. However, please consider contacting us to discuss your condition with our qualified Dentist at Leumeah Dental Surgery, as diagnosis & treatment must be carried out by a qualified professional only.
Benefits of A Root Canal Treatment
- Relief of pain and discomfort
- Prevent further spreading of infection to other teeth
- Retain & Rejuvenate the health of your original tooth
- Enjoy hot, cold, chewy, hard food without worrying about sensitivity.
- Bring the shiny smile back on!
*All benefits mentioned above may depend on oral health and differ based on other existing health conditions.
Any Alternate treatments?
A dental implant may be an alternative for the replacement of decayed teeth. Though expensive, implants are near natural, provide excellent aesthetics, and are a permanent solution.
What you need to know
How long the appointment takes?
Usually, the treatment takes a couple of visits.
- The first visit is usually the consultation, diagnosis and creation of a treatment plan. X-Ray of the impacted tooth is necessary for an accurate diagnosis.
- Based on the complexity (or simplicity), it may take several (or just one!) appointments to clean & disinfect the canals.
- The final visit should be to fill the canal (or prepare a crown in case there is a significant loss of tooth structure)
What do you need to prepare for your appointment?
No special preparation is required.
Arrive at the clinic at least 15 minutes before the appointment.
What extra care may you need to take after the treatment?
Avoid excessive hot/cold food between your appointments
Avoid chewy and hard food during & after the treatment, as the treated tooth tends to be brittle and may fracture without a crown.
Generally, health insurance extras do not cover Root Canal Therapy. However, it depends on the level of your cover as different providers may have different coverage. The good part is, we can check with your health insurer during your consultation visit.
Your teeth and gums will be numbed with the help of local anesthesia. So, in most cases, you will not feel any pain during the treatment or even after the treatment. You will likely experience more pain if you go ahead with an extraction down the line instead of the root canal. However, please discuss with out dentist if you have any specific concern.
Yes. Absolutely. A root canal treated tooth though disease-free, tends to turn brittle in the long run, hence it is mandatory and a part of Root canal treatment protocol to place a cap/ crown over it once treated, to avoid the risk of the tooth getting fractured.
It really depends on how badly the tooth is infected and which tooth is infected. Based on the situation, upto four root canals may require treating. The best way to get a near accurate estimate is to book an initial consultation visit and our dentist can examine and provide the best suitable treatment plan & pricing. Well, please be aware that we do offer interest free instalment plan (AfterPay, ZipPay) to levitate financial stress from you.
A local anesthesia will be applied to the impacted area during the treatment. It will numb the specific portion and you will not feel the pain of the treatment.
Yes. Absolutely. A root canal treated tooth though disease-free, tends to turn brittle in the long run, hence it is mandatory and a part of Root canal treatment protocol to place a cap/ crown over it once treated, to avoid the risk of the tooth getting fractured.