What is a root canal?
Inside your tooth, beneath the white enamel and hard dentin layer, is a soft tissue called the pulp. It has blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissue that help form the tooth as it grows. The pulp runs from the crown to the tip of the roots, where it connects to surrounding tissues. While it’s important for tooth development, a fully grown tooth can survive without it.
A root canal is a treatment to fix a tooth when the pulp inside is infected or damaged. The pulp is removed, the inside of the tooth is cleaned, and the tooth is sealed to stop pain and save it.
How to know if you need a root canal?
Why:
A root canal is needed when the inside of the tooth (the pulp) is infected or damaged. This can happen from deep decay, a cracked tooth, or an injury. If not treated, it can cause pain, swelling, or lead to an abscess.
How:
During a root canal, the damaged pulp is removed. Then, the inside of the tooth is cleaned and sealed to stop pain and prevent further infection. This helps save the natural tooth instead of removing it.
Will I feel pain during or after the root canal?
Many endodontic procedures are performed to relieve the pain of toothaches caused by pulp inflammation or infection. With modern techniques and anesthetics, most patients report that they are comfortable during the procedure.
For the first few days after treatment, your tooth may feel sensitive, especially if there was pain or infection before the procedure. This discomfort can be relieved with over-the-counter or prescription medications.
Your tooth may continue to feel slightly different from your other teeth for some time after your endodontic treatment is completed.
How much will the root canal procedure cost?
The cost of a root canal can vary depending on the tooth and how complex the treatment.
Please note: Our fees are not in line with medical aid rates.
This is because we use high-quality materials, advanced technology such as high powered magnification which allows us to save much more tooth structure and work with a high level of precision. We take extra time needed to provide careful, long-lasting treatment. Our focus is on giving you the best possible care, which does not match medical aid rates.
Please request a full quote beforehand.
Can all teeth be treated with a root canal?
Most teeth can be treated. Occasionally, a tooth can’t be saved because the root canals are not accessible, the root is severely fractured, the tooth doesn’t have adequate bone support, or the tooth cannot be restored. However, advances in endodontics are making it possible to save teeth that even a few years ago would have been lost. When endodontic treatment is not effective, endodontic surgery may be able to save the tooth.
Can a root canal fail?
A root canal can fail, most commonly due to inadequate standard of treatment.
Why a root canal might fail:
- Hidden or missed canals – Some teeth have complex root systems, and a canal might be missed during the procedure.
- Incomplete cleaningand filling – If all the infected tissue or bacteria aren’t fully removed and canals not completely filled
- New decay – If the filling or crown leaks, bacteria can re-enter the tooth.
- Cracked root – A crack in the root can allow bacteria in, causing reinfection
How many visits does a root canal take?
Most commonly its done over 2 visits, however if there is sufficient time to complete treatment it could be done in a single extended visit. Occasionally, additional visits are required.
Can I drive after a root canal?
Most root canal procedures are done using local anaesthesia, meaning only the areas that are being operated on will be numb during the course of the procedure. This means you are awake and aware during the process and can drive immediately after the procedure is over.
Is it better to have a root canal or extraction?
Seriously, How can this even be a question ?
Myth : Root canal treatment causes illness.
Information you may find on the Internet or elsewhere, claiming that if you receive a root canal treatment that you’re more likely to become ill or contract a systemic disease in the future simply isn’t true. This false claim was based on long-debunked and poorly designed research conducted nearly a century ago, long before modern medicine understood the actual causes of many diseases. There is no valid, scientific evidence linking root canal treatment to cancer or disease elsewhere in the body. In fact, modern research has shown that patients with multiple endodontic treatments had a 45 percent reduced risk of cancer. (Tezal M, et al. Dental Caries and Head and Neck Cancers. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 139(10):1054-60, Oct. 2013.).
Myth : Root Canals Involve Removing the Roots of the Tooth
When a root canal treatment is performed, the pulp from inside of the tooth is removed. The roots of the tooth are not removed.
Myth : If My Tooth Doesn't Hurt, There is No Need for a Root Canal
While a throbbing toothache typically is a telltale sign of a need for root canal treatment, there are times a tooth can require root canal treatment when there is no pain present. Remember, when it comes to teeth: There is no pain that is normal, so be sure to contact your dentist if you have a toothache.