ROOT CANAL TREATMENT

If you are experiencing pain, sensitivity or swelling around your teeth, don’t hesitate to seek professional dental care.

The highly experienced and skilled team at Hawthorn Road Family Dental can provide you with a range of effective treatments, including root canal treatment if required.

When do I need a root canal treatment?

Symptoms that may indicate the need for treatment include:

• Pain when biting or chewing
• Sensitivity to hot and cold temperatures
• Swelling of the gum near the affected tooth
• Oozing of pus around the affected tooth
• Facial swelling
• Tooth discolouration

Proper oral hygiene maintenance is essential to avoiding infections, but sometimes the causes are not as clear. You may need a root canal procedure to address:

• Untreated dental decay
• Decay beneath a deep filling
• Trauma that damages a tooth
• Grinding of the teeth (bruxism)
• Advanced gum disease

To diagnose the issue, your dentist will perform an examination and take x-rays. The x-rays will reveal the number, size, curvature and depth of the roots to determine the complexity of the case.

What happens during the process?

During an endodontic treatment, your dentist will remove infected or dead pulp from inside your tooth. They will then clean, sterilise, shape and seal the canals to prevent further infection.

How long is the treatment process?

An emergency root canal may require two or more visits depending on the complexity of the case and how long the infection takes to clear.

Following this, a crown or complex restoration may be necessary to protect your tooth and prevent fracturing.

Hawthorn Road Family Dental is available for emergency root canal treatments. We are located just 15 minutes from St. Kilda. Contact us today for an immediate appointment.

Causes and symptoms:

Root canal treatments are an effective procedure aimed at saving an affected tooth and protecting smiles.

The treatment is performed on decaying or infected teeth. The focus is on cleaning the pulp chamber deep inside the tooth (first removing nerves and soft pulp) and then resealing the tooth.

Leaving the affected tooth untreated can lead to the growth of bacteria in that area, resulting in infection, inflammation and the development of abscesses.

Nerve and pulp damage can arise from a number of causes, including:

• Advanced tooth decay
• Continual treatment on the same tooth
• Trauma to the face
• A crack in the tooth

The symptoms that are often experienced when root canal treatment is needed cannot be ignored. These symptoms include pain, persistent sensitivity to heat and/or cold, discolouration, swelling, gum tenderness and pain in the lymph nodes.

Benefits of root canal treatment:

Any dentist worth their weight in gold would agree that root canal treatments are the most effective way to improve the health of your teeth and prevent extraction. After all, any treatment that saves a tooth is worth considering.

Additional reasons to opt for a root canal treatment include:

• Keep a natural-looking smile by retaining your own teeth.
• You’ll be able to bite and chew with confidence and without pain.
• You avoid the degeneration of the jaw bone caused by missing teeth.
• Thanks to sedation and anaesthesia, the procedure can be virtually pain-free.

Make an Appointment now