Painless Root Canal Treatment in Fort Nelson

When it comes to root canals, most people first think of the pain involved whether they’ve had one or not. Fortunately, advances in dentistry and local anesthetic have made painful root canal treatment a thing of the past. Here at Northern Rockies Dental Clinic, our goal is to make your visit as comfortable as possible. Leaving an infected tooth untreated can be truly painful. If a root canal is not performed when it’s needed, the tooth and surrounding gums may develop infections or abscesses.

Millions of teeth are saved using root canals each year, relieving patients from pain and restoring their smiles. The root canal or endodontic treatment is used to repair and, in turn, save an infected and/or decayed tooth or teeth. Using a root canal procedure to conserve a tooth may provide you with many benefits to your oral health. Some of these benefits include a restored chewing and biting force, restored sensation, a more natural appearance, and protection from further damage or infection.

At the center of every tooth is a hollow area, known as the “pulp chamber”. The pulp chamber serves as a sort of reservoir that holds soft tissues such as the nerve, connective tissue, and blood vessels. The nerve of a tooth is located in the root. The root canals run from the root’s tip to the pulp chamber. However, the nerve does not play a major role in the day-to-day function of the tooth as it is primarily only used to detect hot or cold temperatures.

A root canal treatment takes place when the pulp of the tooth becomes damaged and bacteria starts to fill up the chamber and multiply. This, along with decaying pulp, causes the tooth to become infected or abscessed. An abscessed tooth typically has pus-filled pockets at the tip of the root. An infection in the tooth usually manifests in the canal, causing facial swelling, bone loss around the end of the root, or a drainage hole in the side of the tooth.

What is a Root Canal Treatment?

The experienced staff at Northern Rockies Dental Clinic will take an x-ray of the tooth in question prior to the treatment in order to check to shape of the canals and determine if the bone or surrounding area is infected. To begin the process of treating the tooth, your dentist will administer a local anesthetic to numb the particular area. By using a rubber sheet also known as a “dam” to isolate the tooth, your dentist keeps the tooth and surrounding area clean and dry and free of saliva. A hole is then drilled into the tooth to gain access to the pulp chamber.

Once your dentist has tunneled into and exposed the pulp chamber, he or she will then begin to remove infected pulp and, eventually, the nerve itself. This process is accomplished through the use of root canal files. These files, which vary in diameter, are placed one at a time into the tooth and down the entire root canal. This effectively cleans out any debris from the chamber and canal. Once this is done, your dentist will refill the canals and chamber with a with a rubber compound and seal it with cement.

If you feel you may be in need of a root canal, contact the friendly staff at Northern Rockies Dental Clinic today! Northern Rockies Dental Clinic has been helping Fort Nelson patients find relief from pain with a root canal for years. Contact us over the phone at (250) 774-4484 or request an appointment online to schedule your first appointment.