Endodontics in Sault Ste. Marie, ON
The tooth or dental pulp is the innermost layer of your tooth. It contains blood vessels and nerves and is protected by the outer tooth layers, i.e., dentin and enamel. If the protective outer layers are damaged, either because of tooth decay or trauma, the tooth pulp may become exposed to bacteria, resulting in infection.
Infected dental pulp is almost always extremely painful and can result in severe, persistent toothaches and swollen gums. If you have inflamed or infected dental pulp, then you require endodontics in Sault Ste. Marie, ON.
Endodontics is dentistry that focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of dental pulp diseases and injuries. To experience advanced endodontics near you, please reach out to the dentists near you today.
Signs You Need Root Canal Treatment
The term endodontics is almost synonymous with root canal treatment. That’s because root canal therapy is undoubtedly the most common form of endodontic therapy, although not the only one.
Root canal treatment is the removal of diseased dental pulp from the inside of a tooth. It’s somewhat similar to a tooth filling procedure, except it’s more extensive and involves drilling deeper into the tooth.
You may require root canal therapy if you’re experiencing any of these symptoms:
- Severe toothaches
- Tooth discoloration
- Increased tooth sensitivity
- Swollen or tender gums
- Recurrent pimple on the gums
Simple or Non-Surgical Root Canal Treatment
Great North Dental offers non-surgical and surgical root canal treatments.
A simple root canal is a pretty straightforward procedure. The steps involved in a non-surgical root canal procedure are as follows:
- Our dentist, Dr. Ruchi Sheth, starts by taking your dental x-rays to determine the curvature of your root canals. The x-rays also help the dentist to check if the infection has spread to the surrounding bone.
- On the day of the procedure, the dentist numbs the tooth and surrounding areas using local anesthesia.
- Using a dental drill, the dentist makes a small hole in your tooth to access the dental pulp. The dentist then cleans out the infected dental pulp using root canal files.
- The dentist disinfects the tooth and then seals it with gutta-percha material. In some cases, our dentist in Sault Ste. Marie, ON, may have to restore the tooth’s function and appearance using a dental crown.
Surgical Root Canal Treatment
Surgical root canal treatments are more complex and involving than non-surgical root canals. A surgical root canal may be required as part of endodontic retreatment or if a dentist determines that a non-surgical procedure isn’t sufficient in treating a diseased tooth.
The most common surgical root canal treatment or endodontic surgery is root-end resection or an apicoectomy. During an apicoectomy, the dentist cuts off the tip of the tooth root and sometimes some of the surrounding bone.
Schedule Your Appointment
Timely root canal treatment significantly lowers your risk of needing a tooth extraction. Please book an appointment at Great North Dental to learn more about endodontics near you.