Root Canal Treatment

Suffering with TOOTHACHE or INFECTION? Root Canal Treatment - Melbourne CBD

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No one likes being given the news that they need root canal treatment. "But I just wanted a filling." Or "Why can't you just put a filling in the tooth?"  

There comes a point where teeth cannot be "fixed" with just a filling. This is because when bacteria reaches the pulp tissue inside a tooth, it is diseased and infected, and infection goes into the jawbone. The infection needs to be removed and so the alternative to having the tooth extracted is to have Root Canal (endodontic) Treatment. When there is enough tooth structure remaining to restore, we do usually recommend saving the tooth and avoid extraction and loss of the tooth.  

Root Canal Treatment is a delicate procedure to find, disinfect and seal the chamber system inside the tooth, typically completed in three stages. 

The emergency appointment is usually when the first stage is done and pain relief occurs very soon after. Over a period of several weeks, the tooth carries a special medicament inside and the next stages are completed. The infection clears and then the root system is filled up to prevent future bacterial contamination. 

The tooth is more often than not very weak structurally and is then finally reconstructed with a protective restoration to specially seal the work, as well as protect and restore your tooth. Most commonly, this restoration would be a crown.

What causes pulp disease?

The chamber that holds the dental pulp is small and rigid and the pulp consists of soft tissue including blood vessels and nerves. An inflamed pulp results in acute pain as there is no give in the chamber to allow room for the swelling and bleeding that comes with the inflammation. This is typically the first stage of pulp disease, which ultimately leads to the death of the pulp and infection inside the tooth and surrounding jaw bone.

Untreated pulp disease will progress and turn chronic, which can be associated with a bone abscess, fever and feeling unwell, cyst, drainage or pus in the mouth, sinus infection, and in severe cases, facial abscess/cellulitis and difficulty breathing. 

Some severe cases will require hospital care and if there's any difficulty breathing or severe discomfort, you must go to Emergency at a hospital urgently or call 000.

Causes include:
  • Bacteria entering the pulp chamber through untreated decay, previous deep decay, old and leaking dental work, cracks, severe tooth wear or severe gum disease
  • Trauma resulting in irrecoverable injury to the dental pulp
To book an emergency dental appointment or for more information about whether you should have root canal treatment, give us a call today on 03 9654 8055.

To book an emergency dental appointment or for more information about root canal treatment, give us a call today on 03 9654 8055.

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