Root Canal Therapy

Root Canal Therapy, commonly called “root canal” for short can save a tooth that’s badly injured. But what is a “badly injured tooth?” When a tooth has a very large cavity that has caused irreversible damage to the nerve in the tooth, or when a tooth is fractured due to trauma and the nerve in the tooth is exposed or affected, the tooth has been badly injured. Years ago, the only treatment choice was to have the tooth removed (extracted). Today, you can save that same tooth with a root canal therapy.

Every single tooth has a nerve supply and a blood supply. The blood supply brings nutrients to the tooth. The nerve supplies send sensation from the tooth to the brain. When you get a cavity, the nerve sends a signal to the brain which is perceived as either sensitivity or pain. The root canal therapy involves removing the nerve, blood supply and any infection out of the tooth. The nerve is usually in the center of the roots in the tooth. Sometimes there is more than one nerve for each root. The reason you experience relief after the treatment is because the nerve responsible for transmitting information up to the brain has been removed.

After a root canal treatment is successfully performed, the tooth may be returned to full function by placement of a crown. And in fact it is very necessary to protect the remaining tooth with a crown and to avoid further damaging the tooth.

The alternative to root canal therapy is removing the tooth and replacing the tooth with an implant or bridge.