Patient Education
Root canal treatment
Saving the Natural Tooth
Why the pulp gets infected
Every tooth consists of three layers: the hard outer enamel, the dentin beneath it, and the pulp — the cavernous space where the live tissue and nerve of the tooth are located. If the pulp space is exposed to the outside — through a large cavity or a fractured tooth, for example — the tissue becomes contaminated and eventually infected. In these cases, the treatment is usually root canal treatment.
What the treatment involves
Root canal treatment is the process of going inside the pulp space, removing the infected tissue, and then disinfecting and sealing the space with special materials. Today, root canals are performed with advanced techniques and materials that make them far more comfortable and faster than their old reputation suggests — most feel no different from a filling appointment.
After root canal treatment is complete, a crown is usually placed on the tooth to safeguard it against fracture, since the tooth is more brittle once the live tissue is removed.
Nervous about it anyway? That’s what our sedation dentistry is for — many patients sleep gently through the entire visit.
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