Root Canal Procedure
How are Dental Root Canals Performed?
Depending on the number of teeth and severity affected,
root canals usually require one to two visits not including any follow-up visits. Your
dentist or Endodontist will numb the area around the affected tooth, or may offer you the
option of mild sedation. A rubber dental dam is placed and the tooth is then drilled to the pulp area either through the top
or the back of the tooth. The actual root canals are measured after some of the pulp has
been removed. This is done so that the dentist can clean the entire canal, and so that
enough of the filling material will be used to completely fill the canal. The actual
measuring is done with either x-rays or electronic imaging devices.
All of the diseased pulp in the tooth is removed, and the canal is cleaned out thoroughly
with an antiseptic solution. This solution will clean all of the canals within the tooth.
The canals are then filled with gutta percha, a flexible plastic material. A temporary
filling is then put on top of that. A crown or permanent filling will be done after there
has been no sign of infection. Crowns are most common since the root canal procedure
weakens the tooth. The crown is usually placed as soon as possible, within a month or
less.
Expect two to three days of soreness after the procedure, or longer if the infection in
the root canal was severe.
Next: Different
types of dental root canals
- Introduction to dental root canals section
- Dental root canals - an overview
- Who is a candidate for having a root canal?
- Tooth root canals - Procedure description
- Varieties of tooth root canals
- How much do dental root canals cost?
- Pros and cons of tooth root canals
- Dental root canals - Before and after photos
- Personal stories from people who have had tooth root canals
- Discuss root canals with others
A guide to root canal treatment.