Root Canals

With a demonstrated success rate of well over 90%, root canal procedures remain the most effective way of saving and retaining a tooth that has been severely compromised by dental decay or injury. Across the United States alone, root canal procedures are routinely performed almost 41,000 times daily and close to 15 million times per year.

Your teeth contain a central chamber with connective tissue, a nerve supply, and blood vessels. Collectively, these core tissues, known as the dental pulp, help your tooth to grow and mature before it emerges into the mouth.

When a tooth needs a root canal, it is because the dental pulp has become irreversibly damaged or has died. A fully developed tooth does not require the dental pulp to remain functional.

Warning signs that you might require this procedure include unresolved persistent pain, temperature sensitivity, discomfort with pressure, darkened discolored tooth, chipped/cracked/fractured tooth, swelling around the tooth and gums, and tooth mobility.

During a root canal procedure, our dentist will remove the diseased dental pulp, clean the internal portion of your tooth, and then fill all the prepared canals with a biocompatible filling material. Root canal therapy is typically performed under local anesthesia.

After your root canal procedure, you may experience lingering numbness until anesthesia wears off, mild to moderate discomfort, and need to take antibiotics as prescribed. To rebuild the strength and integrity of a tooth that has received root canal therapy, it needs to be restored with a permanent crown or suitable restoration.