root canal surgery

Root Canal Treatment With Dr Paul Hooi At Dublin18 Dental Care For Patients Near Blackrock

Root canal treatment is a very important and effective procedure, which helps to preserve and strengthen infected, weak teeth. In many cases, Dr Paul Hooi can use root canal treatment to save a tooth in cases where the other alternative is extraction.

What is root canal treatment?

Root canal treatment is a dental procedure, which is designed to treat an infected tooth. This treatment is usually recommended once an infection has reached the pulp tissue. The pulp is the living tissue of the tooth and it contains the nerves and blood vessels; once the pulp is damaged or infected, the blood supply to the teeth is cut off, meaning that the tooth starts to die. There is also a greater risk of abscesses, which tend to be very sore, developing once the tooth is infected.

Root canal treatment involves removing the decayed pulp tissue from the root canals; to do this, Dr Hooi will drill into the tooth to access to root canals. Once all the decayed tissue has been taken out, the root canals will be cleaned very thoroughly and then sealed. Sealing the root canals helps to prevent the infection from spreading to the tooth roots. After the procedure, it is common for a new crown to be placed over the top of the tooth to make it stronger and improve the aesthetic of the tooth.

Why is root canal treatment so important?

The teeth have numerous important roles, from helping us to communicate verbally, to breaking down food before it enters the digestive system. Root canal treatment is a means of saving a tooth and is almost always the best option for treating an infected tooth. Missing teeth cause problems with speech and the ability to eat, as well as affecting the overall facial aesthetic and the look of the smile and increasing the risk of oral diseases.

Is root canal treatment painful?

Root canal treatment sounds more daunting than it actually is. Before treatment begins, the tooth will be numbed completely to prevent you from feeling any pain. Dr Hooi has vast experience in this treatment and will do all he can to ensure you are as comfortable as possible during the procedure.

How Does Root Canal Treatment Work For Patients Near Carrickmines?

‘What is a root canal exactly?’ This is the question you might well be asking yourself right now. Well friend, firstly well have to explain a little bit about the make-up of the tooth itself: A tooth can be divided in to the ‘outer crown’ and the ‘inner root’ which tethers your tooth to your jawbone. These two parts themselves contain the more intricate make-up of the tooth, with the crown featuring the visibly exposed enamel and your tooth’s innards containing the soft living tissue that is dental pulp. The root canal system extends all the way from the outer enamel, through the pulp and right down to the root of your tooth.

So why would I need root canal treatment?

Well… Bacteria is always present in the mouth. Should this bacteria ever make its way past your enamel and into the tooth’s pulp, then your tooth has become infected. This is not only excruciating, but can also lead to losing the tooth in question. Root canal treatment is essentially an attempt to clean out the bacteria from your tooth and save it.

How does a tooth become infected?

For bacteria to reach the tooth’s pulp, the outer crown has to be broken through. This is often the result of tooth decay or a leaked filling.

So what happens during root canal treatment?

Well, firstly you will be given a local anaesthetic and then a rubber dam will be placed around the site of infection. Your infected pulp will be then be removed and any abscesses will be drained. Your root canal system itself will also be given a thorough cleaning and will then be closed up. A provisional filling will then be fitted over your tooth. It will be necessary for you to return for a second appointment so that we can ensure your infection has not come back. If everything is fine, then you will be fitted with permanent filling.

Will it hurt?

The anaesthetic will mean you won’t feel anything during the actual procedure. Your tooth might be a little tender or uncomfortable post-treatment, but this should quickly die down. A temporary ache is also preferable to the agony an infected tooth will wreak! Contact the team at Dublin18 Dental Care near Carrickmines for more information on root canal treatment.

Patients from Dublin Learn All About Root Canal Surgery and What The Treatment is For

There is more to a tooth than what is visible to the naked eye. In fact, the majority of a tooth is the root, which is below the gum. The function of the root is to hold the tooth in place. In the middle of the tooth is dental pulp, which is made up of nerve cells and the blood vessels which provide the tooth’s blood supply. These are connected to the rest of the body by going through the tooth’s root, into the area known as the root canal. Occasionally, due to decay or silver fillings leaking, the tooth pulp can become infected. If this is left entirely untreated, the pulp can eventually die, and bacteria can then travel into the root canal, further infecting the rest of the mouth. This can lead to bad breath (due to all the bacteria in the mouth), abscesses, intense pain and even eventual tooth loss. To prevent all this, root canal surgery may be necessary when the pulp becomes infected.

What does root canal surgery involve?

After taking an x-ray and placing a thin sheet of rubber called a ‘dental dam’ over the tooth to prevent infection during the procedure, the dentist will administer a local anaesthetic to ensure that the treatment is pain-free. The next step is to make a small opening at the top of the tooth, to make the pulp accessible. Special narrow dental files are then used to remove the infected pulp, and then a special cleaning fluid may be used to clean around the new space and the root canal, to make sure that the source of the problem – the bacteria – is totally removed. The space is then filled with a permanent filling, and occasionally a crown may be used to provide extra support. This can usually be done in one visit.