Visiting your Glasgow dentist West End for a root canal treatment

Root canal treatment is a dental procedure popularly offered at Buttercup 7 Day Dental. It is carried out by our Glasgow dentist West End and is designed to treat infections that occur in the centre of your tooth.

Why root canal treatments are important

Infections that transpire in the centre of your tooth are usually triggered by bacteria that reside in the mouth and occupy the tooth when some dental issues occur such as damage due to tooth decay, leaking fillings and trauma. At the centre of the tooth is a soft tissue referred to as dental pulp; root canal treatment is necessary when dental X-rays show that the pulp is damaged by a bacterial infection as this will cause the pulp to become inflamed, making it easy for bacteria to multiply and spread.

Symptoms of a pulp infection

It is possible that you have an infection in the pulp of your tooth if you find it painful to eat or drink hot or cold food and beverages, when you experience pain whilst biting or chewing and when your teeth start becoming loose. It is important to contact your Glasgow dentist West End if you experience any of these symptoms as the longer the infection progresses, the symptoms disappear because the pulp dies. When the pulp dies and there are no visible signs of infection, you may assume that the infection has cleared,  however in reality, the infection is actually spreading through the root canal system which will cause additional symptoms such as the return of pain when you chew, swelling of the gum near the affected tooth, a discharge of pus from the site of the affected tooth, swelling of the cheek and the tooth beginning to darken in colour.

Why it is important to contact your dentist

It is vital that you contact our Glasgow dentist West End as soon as you experience toothache so that if the cause of the pain is infected tooth pulp, it can be managed straight away. As the tooth pulp cannot heal by itself over time and can instead cause further damage it can reduce the risk of a root canal treatment working if the infection becomes more severe. Your dentist will also be able to prescribe you a course of antibiotics to treat the infection that spreads beyond the root and causes swelling of the gums.

How is a root canal treatment carried out?

In order for the infection inside the root canal to be treated, the bacteria need to be completely removed. This can be accomplished in two ways; by either removing the bacteria from the root canal system or by extracting the infected tooth. When the treatment begins, the area will be numbed using a local anaesthetic in order to make the procedure as painless as possible. The dentist will then proceed to remove the infected pulp and will drain out any abscesses that have formed. This is then followed by a deep clean of the root canal and reshaping it to make it suitable for a filling or a crown. It is normal for you to experience some inflammation due to the infection, however it is expected to heal naturally within a few days and the chances of reinfection are slim as the success rate of a root canal treatment is high.