When infection and decay reach the inner part of a tooth, it can cause severe pain and significant damage to the tooth root. If left untreated, it may cause you to lose the tooth. Root canal treatment is the best way to arrest further damage and save the tooth.

At Alphington Dental Care, we offer root canal treatment that can save even severely damaged teeth. Our dentists are highly experienced and use techniques that cause minimal discomfort, so you don’t have to be scared about the procedure. Root canal treatment removes all the infection and restores the structure of the tooth. This prevents the need for expensive and invasive restorative options to replace the tooth.

Do you need root canal treatment?

Cavities, chipping, and breaking may damage the tooth and make it vulnerable to decay. When the decay progresses and reaches the inside of the tooth, the dental pulp can become infected and this infection may cause severe swelling and pain. Without treatment it can become much worse as the infection spreads. With root canal treatment at Alphington Dental Care, we can help eliminate the pain caused by this damage and preserve your smile and oral health.

What does the root canal procedure involve?

The treatment is not as scary as you may have heard. With advances in modern dentistry, root canal treatment is now a gentle and conservative treatment option.

Our dentists will first give you a local anaesthetic. This will numb the area and you will not feel any pain during the treatment. Of course, you will feel slight pressures and vibrations as the dentist works on your tooth, but that’s normal.

A rubber dam is placed around the tooth that is being treated to protect it from the bacteria in your saliva during the treatment. The aim of the procedure is to completely get rid of the bacterial infection in the tooth and it is important to keep it free of contamination.

The dentist will then drill through the tooth to reach the root canal system. The damaged nerve is cleaned out using special instruments. The root canal is slightly enlarged and then thoroughly cleaned out so no traces of infection remain. The area is then sterilized to prevent reinfection and the root canal is filled with an inert material.

After the treatment, the tooth is typically restored to its former shape with the help of a crown. An impression of your prepared tooth is taken and the crown is custom-made to suit your mouth and adjacent teeth. After the crown is prepared, it is cemented into place.

The sooner we are able to treat the infected tooth and clean the root canal, the higher the chances of successful restoration. The trick is to not give bacteria a chance to spread and cause further damage. At the early stages, we can provide conservative treatment that will save your tooth and restore complete functionality.

If you have been experiencing aching or pain in your teeth, contact our office immediately. Our friendly team will arrange an appointment at a time that is convenient to you. The sooner we are able to treat the infected tooth, the less chance for further decay and damage, thus allowing us to offer conservative treatment to save your tooth and restore functionality.

Call us for an appointment today.