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Root Canal Treatment
What is a root canal?
Your teeth are composed of multiple layers of both hard and soft tissue. The inner soft tissue area which is made up of nerves and blood vessels called the dental pulp. The pulp is also called the root canal as it descends down into the roots of the tooth and anchors the tooth in the jawbone.
The branch of dentistry concerned with diseases and injuries of the dental pulp is called endodontics. It is a specialist area in which our team at Marylebone Dental Care have extensive training and experience.
When is a root canal needed?
If bacteria gets inside the root canal area it can infect the dental pulp. When this soft tissue becomes infected it is important to remove it in order to avoid further spreading, and ultimately preserve the structure of the natural tooth.
There are a number of ways that bacteria can cause damage to the dental pulp. This can happened when a tooth is cracked or chipped. Untreated cavities caused by dental decay is also a common way that dental pulp is infected. Accidents also may result in the dental pulp being damaged.
What happens during a root canal treatment?
The root canal treatment itself can usually be completed in one visit to your dentist. However, as a filling or crown is needed to restore the natural appearance and structure of the tooth, one or two follow up visits are usually required.
Under local anaesthetic your dentist will make a hole in the top of the affected tooth and remove the infected pulp. The inside area will also be thoroughly cleaned to ensure all of the infected pulp has been removed. The area is then filled and sealed. Once it is sure that the infection is cleared the temporary filling can be replaced with a more permanent filling or a crown depending on the tooth and the damaged caused by the root canal infection.
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Call 0208 050 9873 to find out if this treatment is right for you.