Sometimes your natural tooth may need root canal therapy (endodontic treatment) for it to remain a healthy part of your mouth. With the development of specially designed instruments and the effectiveness of anaesthetic, most patients report having root canal therapy today is as normal as having a filling.

The dental pulp is often referred to as the tooth’s nerve. However, in addition to nerve fibres it contains blood vessels and soft tissue.

Root Canal therapy is required when the pulp becomes inflamed or infected. This can be caused by deep decay, recurring dental procedures on the tooth, or a crack or chip in the tooth. In addition, an injury or trauma to a tooth can also cause pulp damage even if the tooth has no visible chips or cracks. If pulp inflammation or infection is left untreated, it can cause severe pain or lead to an abscess and the tooth may have to be removed.

Root canal therapy may require one – three appointments and involves:

• Placed around the tooth being treated is a latex sheet called a dam, this will protect your surrounding tissue and healthy teeth as well as prevent the spread of infection to other areas of your mouth. For your comfort, a local anaesthetic is administered to numb your tooth and surrounding area, making for a comfortable procedure

• A small access opening is carefully made in the top of the tooth and using specially designed files and instruments. This allows our dentist to gently remove the infected pulp

• After removing the pulp, your root canals are cleaned, sterilised and reshaped

• The roots are then filled with a biocompatible material, usually with tiny cone-shaped rubber-like material called “gutta-percha”. This is placed to ensure the root canals are completely sealed to prevent re-infection

Following treatment, a porcelain crown is placed over the tooth in order to restore strength, function and appearance.

An infection of the pulp, an accident or a fracture can cause discoloration of a tooth. During your root canal treatment, an internal whitening agent can be applied to restore your tooth back to its natural colour. This may take one or several appointments. Internal whitening of a tooth is usually done when most of the natural structure remains. If much of the natural tooth has been removed, a porcelain crown is placed over the tooth and therefore whitening is not required.