Tooth Root Canal Fillings & Treatment in Brighton & Hove

What Is Root Canal Treatment?

Root Canal Treatment, sometimes referred to as Root Filling or Endodontic Therapy is a routine dental procedure sometimes required in order to save a natural tooth.

There’s nothing as good as your own healthy teeth and if you are a in danger of losing a tooth, Root Canal Treatment may be the best investment you can make to avoid unsightly gaps, a poor bite and the greater long term requirement for dentures or dental implants.

At SmileWorks in Brighton, we have years of experience in providing root treatments and use the latest techniques and equipment to provide successful and long lasting root fillings.

After completion of the root treatment your tooth, in order to guarantee its long term retention, will require the biting surface to be fully restored to protect the root. This nearly always involves a crown being placed on the root treated tooth.

Whenever possible we try to complete Root Canal Treatments in one visit. However, in patients presenting with severe discomfort, two visits will normally be required to complete the root therapy. The first visit will concentrate on making you comfortable and free from pain.

When Is Root Canal Treatment Needed?

The crown of the tooth is made up of the hard, white, enamel layer and a thicker dentine layer. Both these hard layers protect the innermost soft tissues of the tooth called the dental pulp. The healthy dental pulp chamber contains blood vessels and nerves within it and extends from the crown of the tooth to the tips of the root or roots.

If the dental pulp becomes infected or inflamed Root Canal Treatment may be necessary before the tooth will be comfortable again. This involves the isolation of the tooth and the careful removal of its pulp tissues and thoroughly cleaning out and disinfecting the tooth’s root canal system, before completely sealing it to prevent troublesome bacteria from reentering the pulp chamber and causing an abscess to form or return.

The dental pulp can become infected or inflamed due to either deep decay or following a large filling that involves the pulp, an artificially crowned tooth, a cracked or fractured tooth due to trauma, excessive wear of enamel and dentine exposing the pulp and sometimes as a result of severe gum disease.

Signs of pulp damage may include pain, prolonged sensitivity to heat or cold, discoloration of the tooth, swelling, tenderness of the overlying gums or a bad taste in the mouth. On the other hand, there may be no symptoms at all and the problem will be detected by your dentist at your examination or after taking an X-ray picture. If pulp inflammation or infection is left untreated, it can eventually cause severe pain, swelling and loss of the supporting bone.

What Are The Advantages Of Root Canal Treatment

Root canal treatment saves teeth that would otherwise have been extracted.

After root canal treatment the tooth is pulp-less i.e. it has no vital tissues within. However, there are vital tissues surrounding the root e.g. the gum, periodontal membrane and supporting bone. A root canal treated tooth can function normally and can be maintained with routine dental care and oral hygiene measures.

Evidence shows that a properly restored tooth following root canal therapy has a long-term success rate of 97%, making this one of the most predictable dental investments as opposed to tooth extraction and replacement with a dental implant.

Is Root Canal Treatment Painful?

Root Canal Treatment procedures are relatively comfortable and often painless as the tooth is anaesthetised during treatment. After root canal treatment, the tooth may be sensitive or tender for a few days due to inflammation of the surrounding tissues. This discomfort can be relieved by taking mild analgesics or painkillers available over the counter at the pharmacy. However, if the pain persists and is severe, or a swelling occurs, you should contact your dentist.