Root Canals
Root Canal Therapy
If you’re experiencing long lived sensitivity to hot or cold foods, spontaneous and unprovoked pain, or discomfort that is waking you up at night, these are signs that you may need a root canal. Other symptoms may include small abscess on the gums or severe inflammation of the surrounding tissue of a tooth. It is critical that you take action sooner rather than later if any of these signs sound familiar to you. Peak Dental may put you on an antibiotic prior to your root canal therapy appointment to help prevent infection from getting worse.
Root canal therapy is a way for us to save a damaged tooth (when the only other course of action might be pulling it out). By removing the pulp and cleaning out the bacteria, a root canal will both protect the original structure of the tooth and prevent infection. Should you require this procedure, you can expect the tooth to be cleaned, filled, and sealed, so you can put the matter behind you. The best thing that you can do for your oral health is find a team who is experienced enough to handle the job.
Root canals have historically faced a bad reputation due to the number of steps involved in the process. While the modern-day version retains many of the same principles of the original, it’s worth noting that it’s far a more streamlined process than it once was due to modern technology and instruments. New tactics and techniques ensure that one step flows into another, and it’s pain-free for the patient. Dr. Yarborough wants your root canal to be an easy, comfortable, and simplified experience.
What to expect at your root canal appointment:
Digital X-rays: to show the dentist what exactly is happening within the tooth, revealing the extent of the damage so they know whether to recommend a root canal or another course of treatment.
Local anesthesia: Dr. Yarborough has multiple specialized techniques to ensure your root canal is a painless one. Communication is key, and we want our patients to let us know if anything brings discomfort so we can help make sure you are fully numb.
Isolation: A rubber mouthpiece will be used to keep the root canal tooth separate from the surrounding teeth. This is both to ensure that your other teeth aren’t damaged during the process and to keep moisture at bay. The mouthpiece will protect your tongue, cheek, suction the entire time, and ensure you do not swallow anything.
Removal, cleaning, sealing, filling: The dentist will remove the diseased inside the tooth before cleaning the canals, reshaping the canals, placing a specialized sealer in the canals to stop bacteria penetration, and finally placing a rubber flexible filling into the roots called gutta percha.
Crown: After root canal treatment, teeth become brittle and like to fracture and break. To ensure the root canal tooth is properly protected from future bacteria penetration and ensure the tooth can be utilized long term, the tooth will require a crown to protect it.