A root canal is the cleaning, shaping, and filling of the root canal system of a tooth. It is the process by which the blood and nerve supply of a tooth are removed because of an infection. The remaining space is then subsequently filled with a sealer and a rubber-type material, known as gutta-percha). Root canals help prevent reinfection to save your natural tooth and maintain your overall oral health.
Book An AppointmentDo you think you need a root canal, but aren’t sure? We recommend visiting your local Calgary dentist if you’re experiencing any (or all of) the following symptoms:
If you’ve noticed any of the above signs of infection, contact our dental team right away to book an appointment.
A root canal will look different depending on the specific tooth. Your back molars can have up to three or four canals, while your front teeth usually only have one or two. A root canal will usually only take around one to two hours to complete. We’ve included a simple outline of your root canal procedure below:
First, we administer local anesthetic to numb the gum area around the tooth needing the root canal.
To isolate the tooth receiving the root canal and ensure no dental material falls down into the back of your mouth, we will place a rubber dam. This will keep you safe during the procedure.
Once we’re all set up, we will begin cleaning out your canal and shape each canal to be disinfected before filling it.
Once your canal is cleaned out, we disinfect it to then be filled and sealed using a filling material we call gutta-percha.
A few weeks after your root canal, our dentist will recommend placing a crown to restore the tooth to its optimal strength and prevent any future damages.
After a root canal, it is normal to feel minor discomfort and sensitivity for a few days. The good news is there isn’t anything special or complicated involved in taking care of your tooth after a root canal. The best thing you can do is:
Usually, no recovery time is needed but we recommend taking the rest of the day off work if you received any dental sedation services. If you have additional questions about root canal recovery, contact us today!
Get rid of unnecessary pain and contact our dental clinic to book a root canal appointment!
Book AppointmentThe cost of a root canal will depend on how many canals are in the tooth. Our local dentist will determine this with an x-ray of your infected tooth. Once this is complete we can give you a more accurate quote.
Most root canals are covered by dental insurance so we recommend reviewing your dental benefits to see what is covered.
A root canal will normally take about one and a half hours to three hours depending on the number of canals and complexity of the canal system.
No, root canals are normally not painful as we use local anesthetic. The most you will feel during a root canal procedure will be some pressure.
If you’re worried about pain or nervous about the procedure in any way you can ask our dental team about different dental sedation options to help you feel more comfortable.
In most cases, yes! Unless there is a severe infection that may need to be managed over days or weeks.
Yes, root canals are safe. In fact, getting a root canal to remove infected tissue will help save your natural tooth, protect you from reinfection, and improve your overall oral health.
A root canal treatment can last many years, however, a root canal treatment may need to be re-done due to reinfection of the tooth. This is usually related to not properly restoring the tooth after the root canal treatment is completed. This is why it’s important to see a dentist with experience in root canal treatments.
You can eat whatever you feel comfortable ingesting, but we recommend avoiding chewing hard foods on the tooth that got the root canal root until it can be protected with a crown, otherwise you risk fracturing the tooth.
How can I avoid a root canal?
The best way to avoid a root canal is to follow dental hygiene best practices such as:
If you’re a current patient, call our office and listen to the recording for our after-hours number.
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