Root canal treatment is a procedure, which often provokes feelings of fear and anxiety, especially among patients who suffer from dental phobia, but what exactly is it and do you really need to be worried if your dentist utters the word root and canal in the same sentence?
Root canal treatment is a commonly performed procedure, which is designed to save a tooth, which is severely infected or damaged. If your tooth is decayed and the infection has reached the pulp tissue, root canal treatment is usually recommended. The pulp tissue is located inside the tooth and it contains the living tissue, such as the nerves and blood vessels. Once an infection has reached the pulp chamber, there is a very high risk of further infection and dental abscesses and the tooth effectively begins to die.
What happens when you have root canal treatment?
Before you have treatment, your tooth will be numbed completely using local anaesthetic. Your dentist will then drill into the affected tooth to access the pulp tissue inside the root canals; all the decayed and damaged tissue is then cleared from the root canals. Once the root canals have been cleaned thoroughly, they are then filled with gutta percha, a dental material. The canals are then sealed. We often recommend placing a new crown following root canal treatment to offer greater protection and strengthen the tooth.
Usually, root canal treatment is an alternative to tooth extraction.
Is there anything to worry about?
Our expert dentists have experience in providing root canal treatment and they do everything they can to achieve the best results with minimal discomfort. Your tooth will be numbed before treatment begins, so you won’t feel any pain and our dentists will encourage you to relax with a film or some music. We promise that root canal treatment really isn’t as bad as its reputation suggests; the majority of our patients leave with a smile on their face wondering what all the fuss was about!
Tags: Central Leeds, Root Canal City of Leeds, root canal treatment, tooth infection
