ENDODONTIC TREATMENT

Endodontic Treatment for Children

Endodontic treatment removes the pulp of a tooth which contains blood vessels that give the tooth oxygen and nutrients. When the pulp is injured or infected, endodontic treatment is often done to try to save the tooth. Endodontic treatment can be done in adult (permanent) or baby (primary) teeth. Your dentist will suggest fixing them unless they are deemed to fall out soon. Baby teeth are important for chewing, speaking and maintaining space for the permanent teeth to erupt.

Root Canal Treatment in Adults

Root Canal Treatment (known as “Endodontic Treatment”) involves the treatment of diseased or injured dental pulp (known as nerve in the tooth). This nerve is located in the very center of the tooth in a small narrow ‘canal space’ which extends from the crown to the tip of the root. If the nerve is injured or diseased then it can die and this often leads to sensitivity, toothache or a dental abscess. It can also lead to the tooth actually discoloring.

Root canal treatment saves teeth that would otherwise need to be extracted. It involves removing the damaged or dead nerve tissues and pus in the root canals of teeth that have become infected. The infected or dead tissue is cleaned away and the residual canal space is also cleaned and disinfected, and the root canal is prepared so that it can be sealed with a root filling. The tooth can then be restored and can remain in function for many years provided there is sufficient sound tooth structure to support a new filling or crown.