Root Canal Treatment Services in Sacramento

What is a Root Canal?

Root canal treatment is a dental treatment to prevent the loss of a tooth infected at the root apex. When done correctly, a root canal removes the bacteria from the root canal system to preserve the natural tooth.

Root Canal Procedure

A root canal procedure consists of the following steps:

First, the dentist will numb your gums with a substance that feels like jelly. After your gums are numb, the dentist will inject a local anesthetic that will completely numb the teeth, gums, tongue, and skin in that area. Sometimes nitrous oxide gas will be used to reduce anxiety and help you relax.

The dentist may separate the decayed tooth from the other teeth with a small rubber sheet on a metal frame. This protective rubber sheet also helps stop liquid and tooth chips from entering your mouth and throat.

The dentist will use a drill and other tools to remove the pulp from the tooth and fill the tooth’s interior below the gum line with medicines, temporary filling materials, and a final root canal filling.

After the root canal, patients often need a permanent filling or crown (cap). If a crown is necessary, the dentist removes the decay and makes a crown that perfectly matches the drilled tooth.

A dentist may fit the tooth with a temporary crown until they make a permanent crown and cement it into place.

Common Reasons for A Root Canal

Root Canal procedures are standard practice when infection or tooth decay advances down into the pulp underneath the tooth enamel. When this happens, the pulp can become infected, which can be very painful and deteriorate into an abscessed tooth when infection and swelling develop in the tissues around or beneath the tooth. When the pulp becomes infected, or the tooth becomes abscessed, it is necessary to perform a root canal.

Root Canal Recovery

After a root canal, your lips and gums may remain numb for a few hours until the anesthetic wears off. Later you may experience a throbbing pain, which you can treat with pain medicines, such as ibuprofen, acetaminophen, or a more potent prescription painkiller. The pain usually lasts only a day or two.

Root Canal Q & As

Root Canal Alternative Treatment

Typically, endodontic therapy is a relatively simple procedure done in one or two visits. It can save your diseased or injured tooth with little or no discomfort. The only alternative to endodontic therapy is to extract the infected, diseased, or damaged tooth. If our team must remove the infected tooth,Dental Implants are an option for maintaining dental esthetics.