Root Canal Therapy

Root Canal Therapy (RCT) is a dental procedure that removes the damaged or infected nerve. Often this damaged nerve, also called the pulp, is caused by large cracks, untreated dental decay, decay beneath a filling, repeated large filling procedures, gum disease, and tooth grinding.

If infected pulp is left untreated a large infection will form which can spread to the jaw and become complicated. In rare cases, it can develop in a life threatening situation.

Patients who have infected pulp can suffer from severe toothache and will often present at our dental clinic for an emergency appointment.

The purpose of RCT is to remove the damaged pulp (nerve) in order to save the tooth. The most immediate benefit of RCT is relief pain. However the long term benefit of RCT is the preservation of your natural tooth.

The only downside of RCT is it does weaken the tooth structure. This can be significantly overcome with the fitting of a crown.

RCT will not be offered if the tooth is loose or if only a small amount of tooth remains as the treatment is not likely to be successful in these cases.

What should you expect with root canal treatment?

At Me Dental Care, this procedure is typically completed within 3 to 4 visits.

  • The dentist will make an opening in the top of the infected tooth
  • The infected pulp (nerve) and bacteria are flushed out with disinfectant and the root canals are cleaned with special instruments (often called dental files)
  • The pulp chamber and root canal are filled and sealed
  • The tooth opening is restored with a filling
  • After root canal treatment, a tooth becomes brittle. To prevent it from breaking while eating, we cover the tooth with a crown
What are the alternatives to a root canal treatment?
  • Tooth extraction – this will leave a gap that may need to be replaced by an artificial tooth, such as with bridges, implants or dentures
  • Leave the tooth untreated – risk of developing infection and pain. Often can become a life threatening situation if infection spread to the jaw

We invite you to speak to our dental team who can provide you with recommendations that suit your particular circumstances.

Are you looking for Emergency Root Canal Therapy service in Burwood, Burwood East or Camberwell? Me Dental Care is open 6 days a week. Please contact our Patient Co-ordinator to book an appointment, or call (03) 7032 3968 during business hours.

Home Care Instructions

Once a root canal has been performed, your tooth may be sore for a couple of days. The tooth may be hitting high and need adjustment. Sometimes a temporary filling is placed in the tooth. Some of this material may come out in between appointments which is not necessary to be replaced because usually enough thickness of temp filling is covering the cavity to seal the access to the canals.

Make an appointment at Me Dental Care

If you are interested in learning more about RCT or any of the other dental services at Me Dental Care, including dental crowns and caps, or being fitted for dentures, please feel free to get in touch and our friendly reception team will be happy to assist.
You can call us directly on (03) 7032 3968 or fill out our online appointment form on the contact page and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible to make an appointment. Open 6 days a week and located in Burwood, we’re conveniently located to provide root canal therapy to Ashwood, Burwood East & Camberwell residents.

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