Root Canal Treatment

A root canal might sound scary but it’s a fairly standard dental procedure performed on millions of Americans every year. Our team of dental specialists will explain the importance of root canal treatment and how they will help you in maintaining a happy, healthy smile.

When is a Root Canal Procedure Needed?

A root canal can be indicated when suffering from a cracked tooth, when tooth decay has spread to the nerve, trauma, or when causing extreme sensitivity due to a deep filling.

Other symptoms signaling a need for a root canal:

Pain while eating or spontaneous constant pain
Chipped/ cracked tooth
Swelling in the gums
Prolonged sensitivity to hot and cold fluids
Injury to the tooth

What is the Treatment Procedure for a Root Canal?

The process comprises of following steps-

Diagnosis of the infected tooth
Pulp removal
Replacing the pulp tissue with a rubber compound called gutta-percha
Crown placement

Root Canal Recovery

Post root canal procedure, the mouth will remain numb for 2-3 hours maximum.
You can resume office, college or other activities post procedure.
Wait for the numbness to wear off before drinking or eating.
Soreness can occur in the first 1-3 days after an endodontic treatment. Manage with Tylenol or Ibuprofen.
Avoid chewing food from the treated site till the root canal procedure is completed.
The brushing and flossing routine remains the same as before
If experiencing severe pain that can’t be managed with OTC pain meds, please call your dentist for a follow up evaluation.

Benefits of a Root Canal

Relieving tooth pain.
Retaining natural teeth.
Preventing Jawbone degeneration.
Prevention of possible future dental implants procedure.
Pain-free consumption of hot or cold fluids and solid food.
Value for money.
Visually appealing.

Root Canal Cost

Treatment cost depends on multiple factors like insurance, the specific tooth requiring treatment, the clinic’s location, and the dentist’s expertise, but the average cost of treatment is typically around $1,020.

Specialized Equipment

First Point Dental is equipped with state-of-the art technology to deliver the highest quality of care to their patients. Take a look at the different equipment available for root canal treatment:

Digital Radiography (X-Rays)

Our dental clinics are equipped with modern digital x-ray equipment. Your digital x-rays will be examined on a high-resolution digital screen. Plus, the tooth can be x-rayed with less radiation. In our clinic, each digital x-ray is just 1/10th of the normal radiation exposure of the traditional dental x-ray.
Today, Digital x-ray technology provides better resolution than traditional methods. This helps the dentists in getting better diagnostic accuracy.
By enhancing the x-ray image, the dentist can explain the problem clearly and explain the treatment needed to save the teeth.
Images of infected teeth from your x-rays are stored confidentially on our secure database. In future follow-ups and oral treatment, we will have a picture of the progression or decline of the infection and decay.

Surgical Microscopes and Endoscopes

Our dental offices are equipped with advanced surgical microscopes and digital endoscope equipment. This is advantageous in diagnosing and treating difficult dental cases.

What it does:

Locating calcified or blocked canals,
Identifying tooth’s micro-fractures
Retrieving broken fragments of the instruments from the root canal
Identifying perforation of the tooth’s internal surface

Cone Beam Computerized Tomography (CBCT)

At First Point Dental, we believe in the idea of offering the best-specialized service. A 3-D Cone Beam CT (CBCT) allows us to do just that!
With this tool, our specialists can produce the highest resolution imaging to correctly diagnose and provide the corrective response to treatment.
The 3-D cone beam images are more accurate and complete with negligible radiation. 3-D cone beam images can be copied and stored for future reference.
The doctors have access to powerful, focused, 3D images, and a high-resolution x-ray of the oral cavity.
Complete visualization of lesions and anatomy
Access unseen anatomical detail to correctly diagnose the problem
Clear visualization of tooth canals as well as identifying the lesions source

Frequently Asked Questions

Root canal surgery is a comfortable dental procedure, similar to filling a cavity. Dental specialists at First Point Dental Clinics will make the teeth numb in order to give you a pain-free procedure. In situations where the infection is severe, it can be difficult to get the patient numb due to the acidity of the infection. In these instances, the dentist will often place the patient on antibiotics to minimize the infection and ensure greater comfort during the procedure.

Usually, the patients can return to work or school after the root canal procedure. Yet, the experience would differ from case to case. So, consult your dentist near you for post-surgery instructions.

Most dentists recommend waiting for a few hours post root canal treatment. One shouldn’t resume eating immediately because trauma to the tongue and cheeks can occur when the patient is numb. Once the anesthesia has worn off, you may continue with your usual diet.

A discount dental plan can help in saving you expenses from 10 % to 60% on root canal dental treatment. Consult your insurance provider regarding the coverage for endodontic treatment procedures.

Most patients will recover from endodontic treatment in a few days. In rare cases, the patient might feel complications like fever, numbness, and swelling. Consult your dentist regarding any problems post-surgery.

Brushing and flossing are essential after root canal treatment. However, one should be careful while brushing and flossing to avoid tooth irritation. There may be initial sensitivity in the days following treatment. Please exercise caution during that time.

A endodontic / root canal dental treatment duration would range from 1- 4 hours. In most cases, this is completed in one visit, however if the infection is severe or the tooth has many canals, this may take 2 visits.