Why do I need a root canal?

There are several reasons why you may need a root canal treatment in Washington, DC;

• When decay gets deep enough to reach the nerve
• When a tooth fractures through the nerve
• When a tooth suffers an injury or trauma
• When a deep restoration causes injury to the nerve.

What is a root canal Procedure? The root canal procedure involves accessing, shaping, cleaning, and filling the nerve space inside of a tooth. Lets break this down into the different components.

1. Accessing: This part of the procedure involves first the removal of all the decay that is presen, followed by reaching the top of the chamber that houses the nerve tissue (pulp).
2. Shaping: Once the chamber is reached, we use dental files that are a similar shape to the root canal shape. We use something called an apex locator to help guide us to the tip of the root. It’s kind of like a tooth GPS.
3. Cleaning: Once the canal or canals are shaped, we use alcohol and a diluted bleach mixture to clean and decontaminate the root canal spaces.
4. Filling: The final step in a root canal is drying the root canal spaces and filling them using a rubbery substance called gutta purcha.

The entire procedure is done with a rubber dam to prevent swallowing any small instruments. We may send you to the root canal specialist if your particular root canal appears more complicated.

What should I do after a root canal: Depending on the tooth, you will require either a filling to close the root canal access or a crown to restore the tooth normal form and function. Our tea will advise you as to which you will need.