Root Canal Treatment

The aim of root canal treatment is to save a tooth that is infected or at a high risk of becoming infected.

This may be due to:

• Dental decay
• Cracks or fractured teeth

Most often the symptoms associated with an infected tooth are the pain, swelling of the gums or the face, pressure around the tooth or even extreme sensitivity to cold and hot.

In many cases, it is the only treatment option if you want to eliminate your symptoms then try and keep a badly damaged tooth.

During the treatment, the inside of the tooth is carefully cleaned to remove any infection or bacteria and is then sealed to ensure it does not become reinfected. This process can take between one and three appointments depending on the type of the tooth.

The tooth will then be restored to appropriate function with a white or metal filling. However, as the tooth is root canal treated and is usually compromised from any of the above diseases, it becomes quite weak and prone to breaking. To minimise the risk of this happening in future, it will require protection from a crown following the completion of treatment. Click here to find out more about crowns.