Root Canal At Parker Family Dental
A root canal is done when the nerve within the tooth is irreversibly damaged. A hole is made in the top of the tooth and the inside of the tooth is cleaned and shaped to remove the nerve. The roots remain but the nerve is gone. The space where the nerve used to be, is replaced with a rubbery filling material.
The tooth is sealed up and a crown is usually done to prevent the tooth from fracture as it becomes brittle. Many people think a root canal means that the roots are removed and this is not the case. Once the root canal is done, the tooth cannot feel hot or cold any more but it does sense pressure. A root canal can fail and infection can reoccur at the base of the roots. When this happens, the tooth needs to be retreated with a new root canal or an additional procedure called an apicoectomy. These procedures are often done by a specialist in endodontics.