Intense pain caused by infection or inflammation of the pulp and the surrounding tissues can present as extreme responses to pressure, hot and cold foods, and can disturb your sleep or radiate to the side of your face. Strangely though, the tooth may be completely without pain or may refer pain to other teeth or facial structures (headache, earache etc.). It is very important to act on these messages as ignoring them can mean the infection can spread and cause more serious and even life-threatening problems. Resolution of such messages can mean that the tooth requires Root Canal Treatment.
Root Canal Treatment (also known as Endodontic Treatment) is used to save a tooth that has been very badly damaged due to decay, trauma or injury. Root Canal Treatment is usually a procedure that spans over two or three appointments, which involves removing the infected pulp (nerve) tissue from inside the tooth and shaping the pulp chamber, and placing a medicine inside the pulp chamber to allow for the infection to resolve. Rest assured you will be numb and comfortable during this procedure.
We will reassess the tooth to determine if the infection has resolved. If this is so, then the pulp chamber can be filled up to prevent re-infection.
After Root Canal Treatment has been completed, a Crown is generally recommended to be placed over the tooth. This need arises from the fact that to gain access to clean the pulp chamber, the cross-sectional support beams are removed and consequently the tooth is left weakened. There is no other way to undertake Root Canal Treatment. Consequently, a Crown is necessary to be placed over a root treated tooth, to ensure that the Root Canal Treated tooth is embraced and structurally reinforced.
If you have any further questions, please contact our friendly staff on (02) 6882 5444.