Saving Your Teeth with Root Canal Therapy 

I see it all of the time – the distressed look on a person’s face when they find out they need to have a root canal.  Unfortunately, you hear horror stories about the procedure, but in the vast majority of cases the worst thing a patient has to endure is the boredom from having to hold their mouth open.  In the past, if you had a tooth with a diseased nerve, you typically lost the tooth.  Today with the incredible advances in root canal therapy you can save teeth that previously would have been removed.  Inside each tooth is an area of soft tissue called the pulp.  It contains the tooth’s nerves, arteries and lymph vessels.  The pulp runs like a small thread in a  canal down through the root. 

When the pulp is diseased or injured and can't repair itself, it dies, creating an infection.  The most common cause of pulp death is a cracked tooth or a deep area of decay.  Both of these problems can let germs (bacteria) enter the pulp, causing an infection.  Left without treatment, pus builds up at the root tip in the jawbone, forming a "pus-pocket" called an abscess.  As well as pain, an abscess can cause damage to the bone around the teeth.  If left untreated, the discomfort usually worsens until one is forced to seek emergency dental attention.  At this point there are two choices:  Extract the tooth or save it with the root canal.  Removal of the tooth will cause the surrounding teeth to tip and shift, resulting in an uneven, bad bite.  Though an extraction is cheaper, the space left behind will require an implant or bridge to replace the tooth, which can be more expensive than saving the tooth with a root canal in the first place.

Once your  dentist performs tests on the tooth and recommends therapy, he/she can perform the treatment or refer you to an endodontist (a root canal specialist).  Treatment usually involves one to three appointments.  Most of the time, a root canal is a relatively simple procedure that involves little or no discomfort.  First, you will be given a local anesthetic to numb the area.  A rubber sheet is then placed around the tooth to isolate it.  Next, an opening is created in the top of the tooth that extends into the pulp chamber allowing access to remove all of the diseased and infected tissue.  The thin, thread sized canals are then sterilized and reshaped.  The pulp chamber and canal(s) are then sealed and filled with a rubber-like material called gutta percha (or a similar substance) to prevent recontamination of the tooth.  Depending on the condition of the tooth, medication and a temporary filling may be inserted into the area to fight bacteria or it may be completed at the initial appointment.

More than 95 percent of root canal treatments are successful and if cared for properly can last a lifetime.  I know it doesn’t sound too exciting to have a root canal, but losing a tooth is just the beginning of bigger problems to come.  Think twice before you say, “Just pull it” and consider saving your tooth with root canal therapy.