A root canal is a naturally occurring space within your tooth. It consists of the main canal and the pulp chamber which is within your tooth’s coronal part. It also has complex anatomical branches that connect one root canal to another.
The root canal space is composed of the dental pulp, a highly vascularized and loose connective tissue. It is the dental pulp that forms the tooth’s dentin portion. Endodontic or root canal treatment is the procedure used to remove the pulp from the root canals and pulp chamber to maintain the tooth.
How would you know if you need a  root canal treatment? Here are two main reasons why you may need a root canal treatment:
• Infection – a pulp infection may be caused by an untreated cavity. The decay destroys the tooth’s dentin and enamel until it reaches the root canal system. This will then allow the bacteria to infect the tooth’s pulp.
• Inflammation – the pulp can be damaged by trauma, extensive restorative work or fracture. Inflammation can also occur on the pulp due to common dental procedure.
Here are some signs and symptoms of a pulp infection that may require you to undergo a root canal treatment:
• A painful tooth every time you bite, push or touch it.
• Sensitivity to cold
• Sensitivity to heat
• Tooth discoloration
• Broken tooth
• Swelling of the tooth
Your Weybridge dentist would determine if you need a root canal treatment by placing cold or hot substances against your tooth, gently tap on your tooth and feel the surrounding tissues.

Root canal treatment in available in Worcester Park, and can save your tooth. Root canal treatment is performed when the tooth decay extends into the pulp of the tooth, or very close to the pulp. The dental pulp is located in the centre of the tooth, and is made up of different cells and tissues, and contains the tooth’s blood and nerve supply. The tooth begins to die when bacteria and their by-products come into contact with the pulp, usually resulting in pain. Root canal treatment can be performed by a dentist or an endodontist (a root canal specialist). After the tooth is anaesthetized it is isolated using a rubber dam and an access hole is drilled into the pulp of the tooth. The infected pulp and tooth dentin is then removed using drills and root canal files. The inside of the tooth is sterilized and thoroughly dried before to root canal is filled with gutta percha (i.e., root canal filling material). An antibiotic is usually prescribed, and the toothache goes away in about 24 hours. Sometimes pain medication is required for a few days. So go visit your Worcester Park dentist and save your tooth with a root canal!

Weybridge dentists will perform a root canal on your tooth, if it is decayed into your pulp or in very close proximity to your pulp and cannot be avoided; that is if you want to save the tooth. The tooth pulp contains the tooth’s nerves, blood supply, connective tissue, etc. When the tooth begins to die, there are several events that can lead to pain and other adverse consequences. Your Weybridge dentist or root canal specialist will use local anaesthesia and drill an access hole into the infected tooth. A rubber dam will then be placed, and then the pulp of the tooth will be removed using the appropriate drills and root canal files, along with chemical solutions to disinfect the inside of the tooth. The tooth will then be thoroughly dried using sterile paper points, and gutta percha (i.e., the root canal filling material) will then be placed into the sterile root canals, in order to prevent future infections in the tooth. This in turn, will also prevent bacterial spread to adjacent teeth. An antibiotic is usually prescribed to help kill all of the remaining bacteria, and then healing can begin. Pain medication may also be prescribed, and the tooth should settle down within 24-48 hours. A dry tooth is more brittle, so a cap may have to be placed to properly restore your tooth.

What Is Root Canal Therapy?

Root canal therapy is also called endodontics. This is a type of treatment or procedure that is needed when damage has reached the pulp of your teeth and has become infected. When there is severe infection of the pulp or the nerve, an abscess could develop and tissues around the tooth can get enflamed and deposited with pus. This can cause you much pain and discomfort as the nerve endings are already well exposed, not to mention the pain that infections cause. If this is not treated with root canal, the tooth may have to be pulled out. We all know that permanent teeth grow only once and therefore much care is needed to save it.

How Is the Treatment Performed?

Although this type of treatment involves surgical procedures, it is not painful as local anaesthetics are employed before the surgery. Basically, its goal is to take away all infected parts in the tooth to prevent it from further spreading. The root canal itself, as it is the one that is infected, is taken away and the cleaned-out tooth is then disinfected properly before filling it in.

Since the nerves of the tooth have been taken away, the tooth will eventually darken, which is why the dentist will have to carry out special procedures to mask the discolouration. A crown is a good option as it will also provide the much-needed strength and support needed by a dead tooth.

This is a time-consuming procedure but most patients and doctors in Kingston upon Thames attest to its successfulness.