Root Canal Therapy

Root canal therapy is treatment used to repair and save a tooth that has an infection due to a deep cavity or cracked tooth. The treatment involves removing the pulp and the nerves of the tooth, and cleaning the infected area. A tooth's pulp and nerve is not important to a tooth's health and function after the tooth has fully emerged from the gums. If the treatment is not performed, pus builds up at the root tip and the infection of the pulp can spread to the surrounding bone. This results in pain and swelling, and your tooth would likely have to be removed. Your doctor may be able to perform a root canal, however, which can, a lot of the time, save a tooth. Call our doctors and dentists office in Columbia, South Carolina, today if you need help.

First, your doctor will make an opening into the pulp chamber through the crown of the tooth. Once the pulp is removed, the root canal is thoroughly cleaned. If the dentist decides to complete the root canal therapy in multiple visits, a temporary filling will be placed to protect the tooth. When you return, the dentist will remove the temporary filling, re-clean the root canal and pulp chamber, and place a permanent filling and/or crown over the tooth.

 

Root canal therapy has a high rate of success and many teeth undergoing the procedure can be saved to last a lifetime. Additionally, the crown or filling placed at the completion of the procedure makes it hard to notice by others that you had the treatment.

 

If you are having any of the signs or symptoms involved with an infection, it is important that you contact your dentist shortly. Our dentists are doctors that can assist you in catching an infection early, which may determine whether or not your tooth can be saved or not. Here at our office in Columbia, South Carolina, we can help you receive professional treatment or therapy that is needed to get you feeling back to your best. Call today to schedule an appointment with the most trusted of all the Dentists in Columbia SC, Dr. David Lovit.