When Is Root Canal Therapy Necessary?

The tooth is made of several layers. The innermost of these is the dental pulp, a bundle of blood vessels and nerves that rest inside a chamber that extends from the tooth’s crown to the canals in its roots.

Whereas the enamel and dentin can survive after experiencing tooth decay, the pulp cannot. Only complete removal of this layer can stop the decay affecting the inside of the tooth. If the pulp is left untreated as it decays, the affected tooth is lost, and the surrounding tissue will be infected as well.

Root canal therapy is necessary to remove compromised dental pulp after infection. Eliminating sources of advanced decay often makes the difference between losing a tooth and keeping it healthy for decades.

The Root Canal Treatment Process

The first step our Marysville dental team takes is to locate the entire pulp within a tooth’s crown and roots. All of the pulp has to be removed, so ensuring the location of the pulp is critical to the procedure’s effectiveness. Additionally, this step helps our dentists determine whether or not a specialist’s care needs to be coordinated to give you the highest quality treatment.

Next, the member of our team of dentists treating you create a minimally-intrusive path of access to the pulpal chamber and root canals. The infected pulp is removed in its entirety; our dentists take precise care to make sure nothing that could enable reinfection is left behind. Then, a biocompatible sealing material is used to fill in the empty chamber and canals, adding a layer of protection against reinfection.

The last step in root canal therapy is to add a crown to the tooth. This crown seals out harmful oral bacteria, serving as one additional safeguard against reoccurring decay, and makes the tooth durable enough to last in the smile.