Root Canal Therapy is required when a tooth is badly damaged due to decay, infection or trauma. An infected or inflamed pulp (nerve) can be caused by many factors such as a deep filling, extensive decay, trauma, cracked tooth, broken tooth/filling or repeated dental work to the same tooth.
You will usually experience discomfort and pain and sometimes even swelling of the gum/face of the affected area. The affected tooth also will be tender to touch, sensitive to hot and cold stimulus and often appear discoloured. RCT works by removing the infected nerve and replacing it with a root canal filling material after the infection is cleared.
The treatment can take up to four visits at the surgery every two to three weeks. The pain and discomfort usually subside after the first treatment. A crown or a fully cusp capped restoration will be placed after the RCT in order to protect the tooth.
Advantages of RCT
- The tooth can be kept and be functional in the mouth. Your own tooth generally functions better than an artificial tooth
- It is usually cheaper to keep the tooth than to replace the missing tooth with a bridge or an implant
- Keeping and saving the tooth will prevent extraction where it can cause nearby teeth to migrate out of their normal position, altering the bite and efficiency of chewing
Disadvantages of RCT
- RCT can fail in some cases; this can be due to many factors such as a missed canal or re-infection due to leaking or broken fillings
- Retreatment might be required if the initial RCT failed which can result in further fees
- Some patients can experience continual pain in the surrounding area for a longer period of time than normal. Pain killers will be recommended in this case
One of our dentists will assess the case individually to make sure that the infected tooth is suitable for RCT.