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West Chester, PA 19380
Root Canal West Chester - About the Procedure
Root canal therapy is a microsurgical clean out of infected and/or inflamed tissue inside the tooth. What should you expect to occur while receiving root canal treatment?
The appointment is usually an hour and one half long. Sometimes longer, sometimes shorter.
The first thing is getting adequately numbed. Local anesthesia (novocaine) is given. In our office, we use two different types that are complementary and provide a greater depth of anesthesia needed for a pain free experience. In our office, both nitrous oxide along with oral and IV sedations are also available.
Once you are numb, (which takes between 10 and15 minutes), a small protective rubber sheet, called a dental dam, is placed around the tooth to assure the tooth remains in a clean and dry environment.
A small access opening is made in the top or back of your tooth to get to the pulp chamber. Some of the infected or inflamed pulp tissue is removed in making this access opening.
The next step is finding the canal openings, which are pinpoint small openings. This is where experience and skill are very important, since the number and location of these canal openings vary from tooth to tooth and person to person. A tooth may have anywhere from one to five canals, and occasionally more! In general, front teeth have one or two, premolar teeth have one to three, and molar teeth have three to four, occasionally five.
Then the length of these canals are measured, in the past with x-rays, but now it's done with a digital device called an electronic apex locator.
After the canals have been measured, the diseased pulp tissue within the canals will be cleaned with specialized instruments made of stainless steel and nickel titanium metals.
Once the canals have been thoroughly cleaned, the roots are filled with a rubber substance called gutta percha. Our office uses a standard procedure that involves heat and pressure to fill and seal the canals.
A temporary filling is placed in the tooth. The top of the tooth should then be covered with a permanent filling or crown. The temporary filling you receive generally can't keep the tooth sealed beyond 30 days.
In most cases, the tooth will need a crown. A crown will help to restore the tooth's strength and protect it from cracking. If a crown is indicated, it should be placed soon after having root canal treatment.
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The appointment is usually an hour and one half long. Sometimes longer, sometimes shorter.
The first thing is getting adequately numbed. Local anesthesia (novocaine) is given. In our office, we use two different types that are complementary and provide a greater depth of anesthesia needed for a pain free experience. In our office, both nitrous oxide along with oral and IV sedations are also available.
Once you are numb, (which takes between 10 and15 minutes), a small protective rubber sheet, called a dental dam, is placed around the tooth to assure the tooth remains in a clean and dry environment.
A small access opening is made in the top or back of your tooth to get to the pulp chamber. Some of the infected or inflamed pulp tissue is removed in making this access opening.
The next step is finding the canal openings, which are pinpoint small openings. This is where experience and skill are very important, since the number and location of these canal openings vary from tooth to tooth and person to person. A tooth may have anywhere from one to five canals, and occasionally more! In general, front teeth have one or two, premolar teeth have one to three, and molar teeth have three to four, occasionally five.
Then the length of these canals are measured, in the past with x-rays, but now it's done with a digital device called an electronic apex locator.
After the canals have been measured, the diseased pulp tissue within the canals will be cleaned with specialized instruments made of stainless steel and nickel titanium metals.
Once the canals have been thoroughly cleaned, the roots are filled with a rubber substance called gutta percha. Our office uses a standard procedure that involves heat and pressure to fill and seal the canals.
A temporary filling is placed in the tooth. The top of the tooth should then be covered with a permanent filling or crown. The temporary filling you receive generally can't keep the tooth sealed beyond 30 days.
In most cases, the tooth will need a crown. A crown will help to restore the tooth's strength and protect it from cracking. If a crown is indicated, it should be placed soon after having root canal treatment.
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Root Canal West Chester - About the Procedure
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