Root Canal Therapy

A tooth consists of a pulp chamber where you can see blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissue that play an essential role in the development of the roots of the tooth. An abscessed tooth occurs when the pulp inside the chamber becomes infected and needs to be treated to prevent tooth loss and other more severe diseases. The procedure of treating the infection is called root canal therapy, more commonly known as ‘root canal.’ This treatment to protect your oral health and your smile’s beauty is effective, quick, and safe.
If you are experiencing symptoms that potentially need root canal therapy, go to your dentist and have them evaluate the symptoms and decipher whether the treatment best suits your needs. Contact us at Glen Park Dental at (604) 474 0403 to schedule an appointment!
What Is a Root Canal?
Root canal therapy is one of the most frequently performed procedures, with approximately 14 million procedures accomplished each year. The treatment can save your natural teeth, thus mitigating the need for dental implants or bridges. There is a pulp that can be found in the center of your tooth. The pulp is where blood vessels are found that play an essential role in the tooth’s development. The pulp can get infected due to several reasons such as deep tooth decay, tooth trauma, cracks, or repeated dental procedures. The infection symptoms include gum swelling, sensitivity to hot or cold temperatures, and severe tooth and gum pain.


How Do You Know If You Need a Root Canal?
Generally, suppose you have a deep cavity, issues from a previous filling, or a cracked tooth due to injury or genetics. In that case, root canal therapy might be a suitable treatment for you. Moreover, below is a list of other symptoms that indicate your need for root canal therapy:
- ‘Pimples’ on the gums
- Swollen gums
- Darkening of the tooth due to deep decay
- Severe pain while chewing or biting.
- Lingering sensitivity to hot or cold despite removing the source of the sensation
How Root Canal Therapy Works
Step 1:
The dentist will administer local anesthesia to numb the area that will be treated. You would notice a prick in the area as soon as the needle is injected. After numbing the tooth area, our dental assistant will place a dental dam to isolate the tooth being treated and keep it clean and dry throughout the procedure.
Step 2:
Your dentist will create an opening on the top portion of your tooth using a small drill to examine the interior of the tooth. Next, he will file the inside of the tooth to clear away the damaged pulp and shape the tooth’s inner chamber and rinse it with disinfectant liquid to ensure that the remaining filed pulps are washed away. Afterward, he will apply an antimicrobial solution inside the chamber so the bacteria get killed and the risk of infection lessened.
Step 3:
After the chamber has been thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, the dentist will fill it with gutta-percha, a rubber-like material used to fill the tooth chamber. He will use a temporary filling to close the opening of your tooth while waiting for the permanent crown to be produced. After a few weeks, your dentist will place the permanent crown on top of your tooth. In some cases, he may need to put a little supporting post in the root chamber to stabilize the crown.
Benefits of a Root Canal Therapy
Elimination of Pain and Other Symptoms
An infected or severely inflamed tissue inside the root chamber is the source of pain, discomfort, and lingering sensitivity to extreme temperatures. Root canal therapy eliminates the infected or inflamed tissue, thus removing other infection symptoms as well, such as fever and dental discharge.
Preservation of the Tooth
Preserving the natural tooth is so much better than having it extracted or replaced. Root canal therapy is more cost-effective. Even if its cost is only partially covered by health insurance providers, it would still be cheaper than the price of a dental bridge or implant necessary to replace a missing tooth.
It Stops the Spread of Infection to Neighboring Teeth
The infection of the tooth cavity causes both toothache and tooth decay. Root canal therapy removes the bacteria that cause the infection through a thorough cleansing and disinfecting. Eliminating the bacteria will alleviate or eliminate toothache and tooth decay and stop the spread of infection to neighboring teeth.
It Prevents the Jawbone to Degenerate
The ability to preserve a tooth is one of the benefits of root canal therapy. When teeth are preserved, the jawbones are also intact. A missing tooth can cause a jawbone to degenerate over some time.
Protection of General Health
If a dental infection is not treated immediately, the abscess could travel to other parts of the body through blood circulation. Often, sepsis and other dangerous diseases are associated with untreated or recurring dental infections.
Improved Appearance
We design a highly customized dental crown to support the tooth structure and preserve its dental function. To maintain the aesthetics of your smile, we make sure that the crown’s color matches with your natural teeth and masks the discoloration of a once damaged tooth.
It Has a Virtually Appealing Result
Root canal therapy involves filing down the damaged pulp, disinfecting the area, and finishing the top layer of the tooth with a crown or a dental filling that looks healthy and natural.
Save Your Valuable Time
Some patients are worried about the time they have to commit to having the procedure done. Often, it is the reason why they put off the treatment despite its importance and urgency. Depending on your specific needs, the procedure timeline may vary, but generally, you only have a couple of dental visits to have the procedure completed.
Why Choose Us?

Final Words
Regardless of the reason, an immediate replacement for tooth loss is necessary to minimize further oral health problems. At Coquitlam Dental Group, we want you to experience the best teeth and smile as possible. If dental implants seem like the best choice for you, call us today at (604) 526-2725 and schedule an appointment!
Frequently Asked Questions
Your dentist will administer local anesthesia before the procedure. Therefore, root canal therapy is not more painful than a filling or wisdom tooth extraction. However, you may feel that the treated area is sorer and mildly uncomfortable for a few days after the procedure.
Most likely, you will be numb for the next two to four hours after the procedure. Therefore, you should return to work or school at least the next day following the treatment. Also, avoid eating until the numbness has subsided.
The cost of root canal therapy is associated with how severely damaged the affected tooth is and which tooth is treated. Regardless, endodontic treatment, considering its many benefits, is more cost-effective than tooth removal and artificial teeth replacement.
Root canal therapy is performed by a dentist who removes a tooth’s infected pulp, shapes the chamber inside, rinses it with disinfectant solutions then fills it with specific material. Afterward, he seals the top portion of the tooth with a crown to protect and restore it to be fully functional.
If the affected tooth has one canal, root canal therapy can typically take between 30 and 60 minutes but it may get longer depending on the number of roots and their conditions. Overall, you need to allow approximately 90 minutes for the procedure, including your discussion with your dentist before and after the therapy.
You should opt for soft foods for at least two to three days after the procedure. Avoid eating foods that are too hot or too cold and those too crunchy or hard foods. Wait until you have the permanent crown mounted on your tooth. In case of discomfort, remember to rinse your mouth with warm saltwater and take the prescribed medication.
Although a crown is highly recommended after a root canal treatment, the tooth can be filled with regular filling material. The remaining tooth structure will become dehydrated and fragile so it can crack or chip easily. A dental crown supports the once infected and damaged tooth, this way it will be a strong and functional tooth again.
Not all teeth that need to be treated with root canal therapy are in pain. Patients sometimes get confused about why their dentist recommends they have a root canal instead of a dental filling. The reason is that when a cavity is close to the tooth’s root or nerve , you will need to have the root canal. Meanwhile, if the cavity is only within the tooth’s surface, you will only need a filling.
A root canal is so much of a better option than a tooth extraction. The root canal is known for having little to no future complications. Whereas tooth extraction could eventually weaken your jawbones and your other remaining teeth and cause dental diseases that could be potentially worse over time if not treated early. With a root canal, an infected tooth is cleaned and restored to its original functionality.
Antibiotics are usually not required after the therapy. You will only be prescribed it if your dentist deems it necessary, depending, of course, on your specific needs.
HOW CAN WE HELP?
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Book a consultation with Dr. Hakimi to discuss your dental implant needs. We look forward to hearing from you by phone, by email or through the contact form below.