Root Canal Therapy

Root canal therapy/treatment can save your tooth! Your teeth are meant to last a lifetime but unfortunately can suffer injury or disease. If the pulp inside the root of your tooth becomes infected or the root is injured or cracked, the tooth structure can often be saved by Root Canal Therapy aka Endodontic Treatment. The pulp is the soft tissue inside the tooth that contains blood vessels and nerves. When the pulp is diseased or injured and unable to repair itself, it dies. The most common causes of this are a cracked tooth, a deep cavity, problems with large existing fillings, or serious injury to the tooth. All of these can allow bacteria to enter into the pulp causing infection.

If this affected pulp is not removed, the tissues around the root of the tooth can become infected, resulting in pain and swelling. Even when there is no pain, bacteria can damage the bone that anchors the tooth in the jaw. Without endodontic treatment, the tooth may have to be extracted, compromising the remaining bone structure.