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75 Housey St Building C Unit 102
Toronto, ON M5V 3Y2 - (416) 949-9797
Root Canal Toronto
People fear the dreaded root canal. The irony is most don’t even know what it is. They’ve heard about it from friends or television shows or sitcoms and none of that information paints it in a positive light. The truth is a root canal isn’t as awful as many think.
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We provide treatment options and consultations that improve your oral health now and prevent issues as you age.
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Our new technology and educated dentists specialize in dental care that addresses both minor and major oral health issues.
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Root Canal
About Root Canal Toronto
A root canal is a process of removing an infection from a tooth’s roots and the cavities surrounding the root. It can help save a tooth from loss and relieve pain. Dentists and endodontists save 15 million teeth a year with this treatment.
What happens next?
We provide exams and x-rays to see the cause of the pain. Our capable staff will provide you with immediate relief and schedule additional appointments to resolve the problem.
Bentway Dental offers complete dental care so we can address any dental issue you have that caused the pain, whether it’s cosmetic dentistry to fix a chipped or broken tooth, an infection that may require a root canal, implants, or multiple teeth problems.
Our modern technology makes getting emergency work done simpler and easier for both the patient and the dentist.
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Why A Root Canal May Be Needed
Root canals are a common dental procedure but aren’t the first course of action either. This is a procedure used only when the pulp of your tooth, which is the inside of the tooth, is infected. Infected pulp can swell and cause a lot of pain. It’s typically the result of deep decay and infection.
This type of decay can happen because of an untreated cavity, a broken crown, a cracked tooth, or repeated dental work on that tooth.
You can’t deny you need help when you have an infection that requires a root canal. The first obvious sign is an ongoing pain in that tooth or the gum. Your tooth may hurt more when you drink something hot or cold, bite down on something like a potato chip or popcorn, or when touched.
The next obvious sign is that you could have a swollen gum or even a swollen jaw. This usually ends with an emergency dental visit because the swelling and pain can be intense. Your tooth may also be discolored or you may notice the tooth is cracked or chipped. It may also move slightly or be loose.
Severe cases may also have swelling around other parts of your face or neck or pain while eating.
What Happens During a Root Canal
Dentists can perform a root canal as long as they’ve been trained in endodontic treatment. Most are performed by a specialized form of dentist called an endodontist. Root canals can be completed on one or two visits and that depends on whether the dental office can provide customized crowns or whether they have to send off to have one produced.
The first thing that happens when you go in for a root canal is the dentist will administer a local anesthetic to numb the tooth they will be working on. After the area is numbed, the endodontist will put what is called a “dental dam” over the area. This is a small sheet to isolate the area and keep saliva away from it while work is being done.
The root canal is different from other procedures because the deep infection and root cavity are assessed through an opening the dentist makes in the tooth’s crown. They then began inserting small, pipelike instruments to draw out the infection from the pulp chamber, pulp, and canals.
The endodontist cleans the space at the root of the tooth and shapes it to be filled. Then, they fill it with gutta-percha. This is a flexible biocompatible type of substance that comes with adhesive cement. This seals the root canals, fills in empty spaces, and ensures there is no room for infection to regrow.
The last step of this visit is to put in a temporary filling until a crown can be made. Those offices that send off to have a crown produced will require you to come back in two to three weeks to have the crown installed. Offices that can customize crowns onsite can do it the same day as your root canal.
All crowns are customized to fit your tooth. The dentist makes molds of the tooth ahead of time, before the root canal procedure, to ensure the new crown will fit. Crowns can be made from many substances from gold to porcelain. Gold is the hardest and most expensive material while porcelain looks like your natural tooth.
People often opt for gold on back teeth where most of the chewing occurs and porcelain crowns on more visible teeth closer to the front. Either way, your tooth will have a full function after a crown is installed.
A crown protects the tooth from getting reinfected and restores a tooth that is cracked, chipped, or sustained a deep hole of decay.
Substandard Teeth
Some teeth aren’t strong enough structurally to hold a crown. An endodontist has an option for those cases. They could place a post inside the tooth for added support and then place the crown on the tooth.
Other Facts About Root Canals
Most people think a root canal is a long-drawn-out procedure but it doesn’t take that long to perform the procedure. Most root canals only take between a half hour and an hour to do.
The cost varies but a root canal can be expensive if you don’t have insurance. A crown alone can cost up to $2,000, depending on the material used. The good news is that most insurance covers root canals since it’s medically necessary to remove the infection. It also typically covers at least part of the cost of a crown.
One thing to remember is that root canals on molars, the teeth in the back of your mouth, are more expensive because they are harder to get to and more challenging to treat. Something else to remember is that root canal treatment and tooth restoration are usually less expensive than extracting the tooth.
That’s because you have to replace an extracted tooth with a bridge or implant to maintain chewing function and prevent other teeth from shifting. Those procedures cost more.
Talk to Your Dentist
Those who are experiencing tooth, gum, or jaw pain should talk to their dentist to find out what is happening inside their mouths. Early detection of things like a cracked tooth or cavity can prevent you from needing a root canal.
Patients that need a root canal shouldn’t worry. It’s a relatively simple procedure that doesn’t require a lot of special care afterward once the tooth is restored with a crown. It ends pain, prevents more decay, and restores tooth function. Ask your dentist whether your pain and case require this procedure.
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