Root Canals

Sherman Oaks Root Canal Dentist

Your dentist may have told you that you require root canal therapy –also referred to as Endodontics. The dentist may have told you a bit about the procedure and how root canal therapy works in general, but, chances are, you would like additional info.

Previously, if you had an infected tooth or one that significantly decayed over time, it was bound to be extracted. Nowadays, the vast majority of the teeth may be salvaged by a process used by general dentists and endodontists. Extraction these days has transformed into the last resort. Here are some indications that you may need  root canal treatment:

  • Throbbing or spontaneous pain when you are biting
  • Being sensitive to cold or hot food
  • Substantial decay or a trauma, which is creating an infection inside the bone

And here is how the root canal therapy general works:

  • First of all, it is necessary to get access to the nerve through establishing a tiny access point at the top of the tooth. This procedure will be performed using a local anesthetic.
  • The length of the root canals will be established and the infected pulp is removed.
  • During the very same visit, the canal where the nerve is being located is reshaped and prepared to accommodate the root canal filling material. The process itself will not take place until your next visit in most cases. The overall number of visits in general will be established in line with several things that include the number of nerves inside the tooth, the infected state of the nerve and the complexity of the process.
  • Finally, it will be necessary to seal the root canal with a sterile plastic material that is referred to as gutta percha. Subsequently, the tooth will probably require a post and core as well as a crown so to re-establish normal function and form.

If the treatment was performed on time, root canals will not be uncomfortable and because dentists use local anesthetics, the process will be 100% painless. Some people believe that if the nerve is removed, the tooth will die. This is not so. The tooth will remain alive and will function normally, since it is receiving a source of blood and nerve supply from the tissues that surround it. The tooth will not sense hot, cold or sweet things, but will be quite responsive to biting and so on. With all the proper restoration, the tooth will last as long as your other teeth and can be used as an anchor tooth for a cemented bridge or partial denture.

Contact Top Sherman Oaks Root Canal Dentist Today

At times, when the abscess or infection are long standing, there could be some soreness associated with the first root canal procedure. If this is true for you, you will receive more instructions and you will need to follow them to minimize the discomfort. If the infection is present, antibiotics could be required. However, if those do not help, you will need to get in touch with your dentist as soon as possible. Call our dental clinic at (818) 789-3508 or email us using online contact form.

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