The Root Canal Trip

One day (maybe that day has already arrived), you may need some root canal therapy. Maybe it has to be done because the tooth is abcessed, or accidentally injured, or as part of a reconstruction of your mouth or something else.

Anyway, you can try to forget about all the horror stories you’ve heard about root canal therapy. You’re going to find out that having this kind of dental care is no more of a big deal than any other dental procedure, and actually less than most.

How is it done?

Root canal therapy is all about getting rid of the pulp of a tooth and allowing the tissues around the tooth to heal. There are only two ways to remove the pulp:

1. Remove the whole tooth - the pulp comes with it. Sometimes we do this but usually, that’s like throwing away the baby with the bath water.

2. Remove the pulp and leave the rest of the tooth right where it is - attached to your jaw and functioning. This is what we almost always do.

It’s a sophisticated and sometimes demanding thing for dentists to do. In fact, for really complex root canal situations, there is actually a specialist (an endodontist) in dentistry who does nothing but that. But for you, the patient, it’s just about always no big deal.

Here’s some straight talk about how this is done.

An opening is made into the pulp of the tooth (did I mention that the tooth is made completely numb first?), and the pulp is removed with special little instruments - they look sort of like tiny files. The space where the pulp was (the pulp canal or root canal) is cleaned, shaped and smoothed.

The pulp canal is sealed up - completely filled - with a variety of materials. Then the opening into the pulp is closed.

This process can take from one fairly short visit to two or three longer visits, depending on the complexity of the pulp canal system in the particular tooth and the number of roots the tooth has.

After everything is done, the tooth has to be strongly repaired. The type of repair depends entirely on how much the tooth is damaged. In situations where the tooth is pretty well intact and most of it is strong, we can often use a bonded restoration. If the tooth has a lot of damage, we may want to crown (cap) the tooth to restore its original “go-the- distance” strength.

What about pain?

The fact is, most people have little or no discomfort during or after root canal therapy with us. (No, really!) The tissues at the end of the roots can get a little irritated from the procedure and take a few days to heal. We want you to avoid chewing on the treated tooth for a few days to allow the healing to take place.

Of course, if the tooth was badly infected when we began, there is a higher likelihood of discomfort after the procedure, because the tissues start out inflamed. We give you our full support and medication if this is the situation you are in.

Usually antibiotics are not used or indicated after root canal therapy, but there are times where we do want to use them. We individualize for your situation.

How long will the tooth last?

Good question. Our goal is always to preserve the tooth for your lifetime. We usually can.

Sometimes, a root-treated tooth will flare up again some time after treatment. This can happen even years later. In that situation, there are almost always ways of handling the problem so the tooth is not lost.

Actually, root canal therapy is one of the high-success things dentists do, although once in while, as with everything, one fails.

Will the tooth darken after treatment?

Some teeth do that. We can restore such a tooth to its original color (usually better, actually) by bonding, veneering or bleaching. And if the tooth is capped after the procedure to restore it, the cap will not change color.

What about cost?

Root canal therapy is not a big-ticket item in dentistry, especially compared to things like bridges, dentures and implants, which are the things you have to deal with when you lose a tooth.

Root canal therapy fees are in the hundreds of dollars range, not tens or thousands. Of course, you have to add in the fee for restoring the tooth after the root canal is done. The total cost is almost always less than losing the tooth and replacing it.

Of course, if you feel that teeth are optional and you don’t care if you have any, then root canal therapy won’t seem like a good investment to you.

But we feel that teeth are really important. Dr. Charles Mayo said that good dental health can add ten years to human life, and we know that teeth can make or break human relationships.

Root canal therapy is another way we help people achieve the goal that just about everyone wants, and what we want for all our patients.

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