Root canal treatment is a highly effective dental procedure, which is used to save a tooth that has been infected. Once the infection reaches the pulp tissue, the living tissue of the tooth, often the only options are to extract the tooth or carry out root canal therapy.

Root canal treatment has something of a bad reputation and many patients assume that it’s going to be traumatic and painful; however, this is really not the case and most of our patients find the experience refreshingly painless and hassle-free. We numb the tooth prior to treatment to prevent you from feeling any pain and we recommend taking pain relief afterwards for those who have mild discomfort once the effects of the anaesthetic wear off.

What is root canal treatment?

Root canal treatment is a general dental procedure, which is used to treat severely decayed or damaged teeth. This treatment is generally recommended once an infection has spread to the pulp; the pulp contains the nerves and blood vessels and once it is infected, the tooth starts to die and there is a real risk of abscesses forming. Root canal treatment is a means of stemming the spread of infection and protecting the tooth. It is often the only alternative to extraction.

Before you have root canal treatment, local anaesthetic will be used to numb the tooth completely and block any pain. Your dentist will drill into the tooth to access the root canals and then remove the decayed pulp tissue; once the tooth is clean and free from decay, the root canals will be sealed using dental material. In most cases, a new crow is placed on the tooth after root canal treatment; this helps to make the tooth stronger and also improves the aesthetic of your smile.

If you’d like to find out more about root canal treatment, or you are a nervous patient and you would like advice about undergoing root canal therapy or information about treatment at Dublin18 Dental Care, please don’t hesitate to get in touch or pop in and see us.