Our ServicesRoot Canal Treatments

The space inside the hard layers of each tooth is called the root canal system. This system is filled with soft tissue – the “dental pulp”. Dental pulp consists of connective tissue, blood vessels, other cells, and nerve tissue.

If the dental pulp becomes infected, it needs to be removed.

Removing infect pulp can be accomplished by means of a root canal treatment (RCT) or by extracting the tooth. During a RCT, once the infected dental pulp is removed, it is replaced with a sealer and gutta percha.

Is RCT a common procedure?
Yes, very! In fact, we have performed more than 10,000 successful root canal treatments.

How is a root canal treatment done?

1. We numb the tooth.
2. Once you are perfectly numb, we drill an access hole through the biting surface of the tooth and remove the infected dental pulp.
3. We clean and shape the inside of the canal system.
4. We place a medication for about two weeks.
5. Then we finish the root canal treatment and place a filling to seal the access hole.

Molars (back teeth) will almost always need a crown afterwards to preserve the stability of the tooth.

A root canal treatment usually takes two to three appointments. The first appointment takes up to an hour, the next ones are shorter. If you wait too long to deal with an infected tooth, serious complications can arise. Sometimes these complications are deadly.

Where can I learn more about RCTs?
You can learn more about root canal treatments by visiting our What is root canal treatment? article.

A root canal treatment is often the best long term and most economic choice for saving an infected tooth. There’s nothing to be scared of!