Root Canal Therapy
At Prins Dental we care deeply for your dental health. We are committed to providing you the right solution to whatever issue may arise while making sure to give you the most value we possibly can. We offer root canal therapy to our patients whose teeth are in need of restoration beyond what fillings can provide. Root canals offer an excellent and cost-effective solution to extreme tooth decay or damage.
When it comes to dental issues, many times there is more than one answer to any given problem. So we do our best to educate our patients on all the pros and cons of any option we give them so that they can make the most informed decision possible. Often when the option of root canal therapy is presented to a patient the other option is the removal of the tooth. Root canal therapy is always preferable to tooth loss.
What is a root canal?
Root canal therapy is a dental procedure that is done to save a tooth that would otherwise need to be extracted. Compared to tooth loss or tooth replacement, the expense of a root canal is negated almost entirely. The loss of a tooth can easily lead to additional tooth loss which can be extremely expensive, also tooth replacement has a very high upfront cost.
A root canal allows us to save a tooth by removing the biological matter and the nerve within the tooth.
When would I need a root canal?
A root canal is necessary when decay has reached the inner portions of the tooth. The tooth is comprised of three layers that surround the nerve—enamel, dentin, and pulp.
Enamel is a thin but extremely hard shield that protects the inner layers of the tooth. Below the enamel is the dentin, which gives the tooth its structure and firmness. The pulp makes up the innermost layer of the tooth and is comprised mostly of biological material. When the pulp is affected by decay, the tooth will need a root canal.
The Procedure
A root canal entails removing the pulp of the tooth as well as the root so that all biological material is gone. In order to do this, we will drill a hole in the tooth to access the inner portion of the tooth. Once we can access the pulp we remove it along with the root. This leaves a hollow tooth. We then disinfect and clean the interior of the tooth to ensure that no traces of decay-causing bacteria remain.
Once the interior of the tooth is clean and free from bacteria we can fill it with an inert material called gutta-percha. Gutta-percha ensures that the tooth keeps its form and is filled with something similar in consistency to the pulp that is replacing.
Once the tooth has been filled we finish the procedure by placing a tooth-colored resin over the access hole in much the same way that we would finish a filling.
Please call us today at (541) 773-5441 to schedule an appointment. |
