What is a root canal?
A root canal is a procedure done to save a tooth cleaning out the diseased pulp and reshaping the canal. The canal is filled with gutta percha, a rubber like material, to prevent recontamination of the tooth. The tooth is then permanently sealed with possibly a post and/or a gold or porcelain crown. This enables patients to keep the original tooth.
A root canal is a procedure done to save the damaged or dead pulp in the root canal of the tooth by cleaning out the diseased pulp and reshaping the canal. The canal is filled with gutta percha, a rubberlike material, to prevent recontamination of the tooth. The tooth is then permanently sealed with possibly a post and/or a gold or porcelain crown. This enables patients to keep the original tooth.
Root canal therapy is the only way to save a tooth once the pulp of the tooth becomes damaged or infected. This can happen from decay that has gone too deep or from some type of trauma to the tooth. Root canal therapy usually takes 1-3 visits and involves removing the bacteria from the root canal of the tooth, shaping the root canal, and filling the root canal with a putty-like substance. Root canal therapy has about a 90-95% success rate, depending on the individual case, and whether a permanent restoration has been placed over the tooth. A buildup of the tooth (core) and crown is usually needed to protect the tooth from breakage once root canal therapy has ben done. The final, restored tooth may last a lifetime, as long as healthy teeth and tissues are maintained. Make sure you visit the dentist regularly to evaluate and monitor the tooth.
• A root canal is a procedure done to save the damaged or dead pulp in the root canal of the tooth by cleaning out the diseased pulp and reshaping the canal. The canal is filled with gutta percha, a rubber-like material, to prevent recontamination of the tooth. The tooth is then permanently sealed with possibly a post and/or a gold or porcelain crown. This enables patients to keep the original tooth.
There aren’t many words in a dental office that get more of a reaction from patients than the words “root canal.” Teeth are hollow ,and there is tissue inside them. For various reasons the tissue may die and bacteria start to live on the dead tissue inside the tooth. Once a tooth is infected ,you have two choices. You must either extract the tooth or do root canal therapy. The procedure involves opening up the biting surface of the tooth and cleaning the inside of the tooth, reshaping it, and filling it with a plastic material to seal it up. The purpose is to remove places for bacteria to live inside your tooth. In most instances after root canal therapy, you need to crown a tooth because access into the tooth structurally weakens it. Without a crown, a root canaled tooth will eventually break apart.
