SW Calgary Root Canal Therapy (Endodontics)

Root canal therapy performed in order to save an infected or decayed tooth from extraction. The most common reason for a tooth becoming compromised is due to a fracture or crack, a deep cavity, or an injury to the tooth. To save the tooth from extraction, the pulp of the tooth (the living tissue inside the tooth), along with the nerves, bacteria, and any decay is removed and the resulting space is filled with special, medicated, dental materials, which restores the tooth to its full function. Left untreated, an injured tooth can lead to extreme pain, a dental abscess, or possible tooth loss.

Having a root canal is the treatment of choice to save a tooth that otherwise would die and have to be removed. Many patients believe that removing a problematic tooth is the solution, but what is not realized is that extracting a tooth will often ultimately be more costly and cause significant problems for adjacent teeth. Root canal treatment is highly successful and usually lasts a lifetime, although occasionally a tooth will have to be retreated due to new infections.

• An abscess (or pimple) on the gums.
• Sensitivity to hot and cold.
• Severe toothache pain.
• Sometimes no symptoms are present.
• Swelling and/or tenderness.

• Decay has reached the tooth pulp (the living tissue inside the tooth).
• Infection or abscess have developed inside the tooth or at the root tip.
• Injury or trauma to the tooth.