For some people it begins with tooth pain that just won’t get better. For others there are no symptoms at all. Yet both are in the same boat: the pulp in one of their teeth is inflamed or infected, and in need of root canal therapy, a specialty at Cascade Endodontics in Orem.
Known formally as endodontic treatment, a root canal is when the the affected dental pulp is removed and the space it leaves is filled and sealed. At that point the tooth is technically dead, but it remains fully functional.
The Process, Start-To-Finish
The root canal process generally goes like this:
- You get a local anesthetic to numb the tooth and surrounding area. Treatment never begins until you are completely numb.
- A thin rubber sheet (a “dental dam”) goes over the affected area; only the tooth to be worked on is visible. The dam helps the area remain sterile.
- A small hole is drilled into the tooth to provide access to the pulp chamber.
- The affected pulp is removed with special instruments, and the space that leaves is cleaned and disinfected.
- The canals in the tooth are shaped and cleaned again, then filled with a rubber-like material.
- The tooth is sealed and the dental dam is removed.
- Healing begins. You may be prescribed an antibiotic to prevent infection. Most patients experience mild discomfort for a few days.
- Once healing is complete the tooth will need a permanent filling or crown.
When it’s all over you are left with a fully functional tooth.
Root canals have a bad reputation, but the procedure is painless; any tooth pain that had been there is gone. At Cascade Endodontics we have long experience with root canal therapy and toothache relief. Please call our office to schedule an appointment today!
Jon Jenson DDS
Cascade Endodontics
1375 E 800 N Ste 203
Orem, UT 84097
801-404-5810