Root Canal Therapy
Save Your Tooth With Root Canal Therapy
About Smiles Dentistry helps patients clear up infections and damage inside their teeth with root canal therapy in Annapolis, MD. Patients need root canal therapy when a tooth’s nerve is affected by an infection or decay. We remove the tooth’s pulp (living tissue), nerves, bacteria, and decay and fill the empty space with medicated dental materials. This process restores a tooth to its full function and prevents the need to extract it. Root canal therapy is a highly successful treatment that typically lasts a lifetime. However, a tooth will occasionally require retreatment because of a new infection. We strongly recommend this treatment if decay has reached your tooth pulp, you’ve developed an abscess or infection at the root tip or inside your tooth, or your tooth sustains an injury or trauma.
Signs & Symptoms of an Infection
Performing a root canal on a tooth is the preferred treatment to save it. Otherwise, your tooth would die, and we would have to remove it. Many people think pulling a tooth is the best solution when it has problems, but doing so is ultimately more costly and results in significant issues with adjacent teeth. Be on the lookout for various signs and symptoms you need root canal therapy, and we will relieve the discomfort and save your tooth. Here are common signs to look for that indicate you need treatment:
- Sensitivity to Hot and Cold
- Swelling or Tenderness
- Severe Toothache Pain
- An Abscess, or Pimple, on the Gums
- Sometimes, There Are No Symptoms
What’s Involved in Performing Root Canal Therapy
Root canal procedures require one or more appointments our dentist will perform. The steps of the treatment include the following:
- After numbing the tooth, we place a rubber dam (a sheet of rubber) around your tooth to keep it dry and free of saliva.
- We make an access opening on top of your tooth and place a series of root canal files in the opening. One at a time, these files remove the nerve tissue, pulp, and bacteria. If you have tooth decay, we will use special dental instruments to remove it.
- Once we have thoroughly cleaned your tooth, we seal it with either a permanent filling or a temporary filling if you need additional appointments.
- During the next appointment (typically a week later), we fill and seal the roots inside the tooth’s cavity with special dental instruments. The opening at the top of your tooth will be covered by placing a filling.
- We finish by placing a crown, or cap, on each tooth that had root canal treatment. This crown protects the tooth and prevents it from breaking while restoring its full function.
Get Relief in Annapolis, MD at About Smiles Dentistry
Your tooth may be sensitive after treatment, but this feeling will subside as the tooth heals and the inflammation diminishes. About Smiles Dentistry will give you care instructions following each appointment, including regular dental visits and good hygiene practices to care for your root canal treatment.