Root canal treatment

The pulp makes the tooth vital (alive) and due to different reasons, such as for example deep decay or fillings, the pulp can get inflamed or infected. With a root canal treatment the infected pulp is removed and replaced with a permanent rubber material called Gutta-percha. The Gutta-percha helps keeping the canals free from contamination or infection. This is a way for us to save the tooth instead of extracting it.

Any of the below causes can result in an acute inflammation of the Pulp, creating swelling and pressure inside the tooth and causing pain. 

• Deep tooth decay

• Deep fillings close to the nerve

• Repeated dental procedures – for example replacing a large filling

• Traumatic damage such as cracks, chips or fractures

• Traumatic occlusion – repeated excessive force on the tooth when biting together

A root filling procedure starts with opening up the tooth to enable good insight. We need to find all canals. Depending on which tooth to treat the amount varies between 1-4 canals. When all are located we measure them for accurate length to ensure fillings right by the tip of the root. The canals will be cleaned using files. These remove everything in the canals and “scrub” the canals' walls. Throughout the cleaning procedure we rinse with antiseptic liquid. Finally the canals are filled with gutta-percha. Over this we make a plastic filling or a crown, depending on the loss of tooth substance before the root canal treatment.

This procedure is often divided in two sessions, cleaning and filling. When the tooth infection also includes the surrounding bone, the pain comes from both. An antiseptic medium is therefore applied in the canal after cleaning as a first session. A healing period of at least one week awaits with a temporary filling. When free from symptoms a successful bone healing have started and we can finish the treatment with root canal filling including a tooth filling on top.