Root Canal Treatment

When a dental abscess develops the tooth sometimes has to be removed, but in many cases a root filling can save it.  At Gwynne Dental we take a great deal of care to root treat teeth to the highest standard to maximise the chances of long term success. Mastering this highly technical procedure takes many years. Our dentists continually update their skills and equipment, auditing their work to ensure their work is continually improving and of a high standard.  Ensuring your comfort during all procedures is paramount; but contrary to popular belief, root treatments are often completely painless. Using correct local anaesthetics, giving them time to work and checking they have worked before starting is key to a comfortable experience. 

Although we are not specialists in root canal treatment all our dentists have a special interest in this area. We do not place a specialist price tag on our treatments however in a few circumstances we will advise a referral to a specialist.

This X-rays show before and after the root treatment.  The abscess is the dark shadow at the tip of the root and the white line is the ‘filling’ within the root. The chances of this treatment ‘saving’ this front tooth in the long term are very high.

Modern Equipment and Techniques

There have been many advances in effective techniques in root canal therapy over the last 10 years. This includes both equipment and medicines that are placed in the tooth during treatment. At Gwynne Dental we have invested in the latest equipment including dental microscope, specialist root canal micro motors and continually update our knowledge via courses and evidence based research.

Pain free

There are 3 different types of local anaesthetics that we can use and we often  will place the strongest type and give plenty of it to ensure nothing is felt during the procedure. New techniques allow us to get the tooth completely numb.

Why a root filling is needed

Decay or trauma to a tooth can cause the pulp (contains the nerves and blood vessels) to become inflammed and then ‘die’ causing the contents to become necrotic and infected. This often leads to pain and the tretament option at this point is either to take the tooth out or root canal treatment. The pulp has a chamber near the top of the tooth and extents down each root in a canal

A successful root filled tooth

• Will have the inflamed or infected pulp area completely cleaned using filing of the canals and application of disinfectant materials
• The canals once prepared acutely to the root end will be dried and filled completely with root canal filling material and sealant
• At Gwynne Dental we will often place a special very strong filling in the tooth that extends down into the top of each root canal. This seals the filled canals preventing from future reinfection. We will recommend a filling or crown that completely covers the top of the tooth straight after to prevent the tooth from breaking.