Endodontics is a specialized branch of dentistry which deals with dental pulp (inner soft tissue of the tooth) often called the "nerve". In healthy teeth, this nerve is surrounded by hard tissued enamel and dentine, and cementum in the roots. Decay dissolves this hard tissue and when the nerve is exposed there is a need to remove it, in order to control pain and infection, and to keep the natural teeth. Dental injuries may also expose this nerve - sports and car accidents are frequent causes of dental injuries. An endodontist is a dentist who specializes in this field of dentistry. Our first concern is to control and eliminate pain, then to restore the tooth.

After ascertaining the general health of the patient, and taking a complete dental history, we are ready to perform a root canal.

First we use a local anesthetic, then a rubber dam is placed. A rubber dam is a sheet of rubber that is stretched around your tooth and held in place by a small clamp, to prevent saliva from getting into your tooth. Your saliva contains bacteria which will interfere with a desired result of the treatment. After placing the rubber dam, the next step is to clean the tooth and remove decay and food debris.

There are different types of instruments used to clean the inside of the tooth. Small, shaped hand files are used to measure the length of the tooth nerve, or a digital device like the (Root Zx) Electronic apex locater, will tell us the exact length of a root.

Then the tooth is filed and shaped with Nickel-Titanium rotary instruments. When the roots are cleaned out and the inside of the tooth is shaped, it is time to fill the canal with a root canal filler (a paste) and gutta-percha--a rubber like inert material that will take the place of the nerve, thus promoting healing and preventing infection.

Once this is done, a filling will be placed to seal the access hole made to clean out the tooth. Possibly a dental crown and/or a dental post may be needed to fully restore the tooth. This depends on the strength of the natural tooth and how much damage the decay or injury has done to the tooth.

A regular treatment may take one hour, sometimes a second appointment will be needed, then the root canal treatment is completed. We can then look at subsequent treatment to fully restore the tooth.

In most cases, the nerve and nerve tissue in a damaged tooth that qualifies for a root canal, is already dead and cannot transmit pain. The pain comes from the infection and irritants left in the inner tooth that are now affecting the area surrounding the tooth. Once the irritants and decay are removed, the tooth can heal. The process of a root canal itself, should not cause pain--rather, it relieves the pain by cleansing and removing the cause of the pain. A root canal, in most cases, is a better solution than extraction of the tooth.