A dental procedure to remove inflamed or infected pulp on the inside of the tooth which is then carefully cleaned and disinfected, then filled and sealed. Root canal treatment is designed to eliminate bacteria from the infected root canal, prevent reinfection of the tooth and save the natural tooth. 

Trauma to your tooth may also cause pulp damage even if the tooth has no visible chips or cracks. It is important to be seen by a dentists ASAP after experiencing trauma to your teeth. If pulp inflammation or infection is left untreated, in can cause pain or lead to an abscess.

With proper care, you’ll keep teeth that have had root canal treatment for a lifetime but it’s possible for those teeth to heal improperly, becoming painful or diseased months or even years after treatment. If this happens to your treated teeth you have a second chance to save the tooth with retreatment. An additional procedure may be able to diminish dental pain or discomfort and promote healing. 

It’s possible that a nonsurgical root canal procedure won’t be enough to save your tooth and that your endodontist will recommend surgery. Endodontic surgery can be used to locate small fractures or hidden canals previously undetected on X-rays during the initial treatment. Surgery may also be needed to remove calcium deposits in root canals, or to treat damaged root surfaces or the surrounding bone of the tooth.

Pathology and lab testing

A biopsy may be advised to be taken if enough tissue can be removed during periapical surgery, if pathology is persistent or inconsistent with endodontic disease, or if it is indicated by a patient’s medical history.

Internal bleaching procedure is a teeth whitening process normally performed on a previously root canal treated tooth and/or a tooth that has undergone trauma. There are a few reasons this can happen. Sometimes bacteria, blood, or saliva remain inside the tooth after a root canal procedure. As the bacteria break down, discoloration develops. In this case, internal bleaching is the only option. This procedure that targets discoloration from the inside out. That way you can make sure those pearly whites are white again!

A pulpotomy is a dental procedure necessary when a cavity has reached the pulp chamber. The pulp chamber is the area of the tooth that contains the nerves and blood vessels that keep the tooth alive. During a pulpotomy, the dentist will remove the infected or damaged pulp from the pulp chamber to restore the integrity of the tooth and prevent infection from spreading to surrounding teeth. After a set of X-rays are taken, an endodontist will be able to assess the extent of the infection and recommend your treatment options. The less serious of these options is vital pulp therapy, also known as a pulpotomy. If the decay or trauma is confined to the crown of the tooth, and does not affect the root, a pulpotomy may be recommended. When a cavity gets really deep, close to the pulp of a tooth, or even into the pulp, the pulpal tissue becomes irritated and inflamed. A pulpotomy is when the inflamed pulp chamber, usually on a baby molar, is removed. The endodontist will remove all the infected material in the pulp of the crown only, leaving the living tooth root intact. After a pulpotomy on a baby molar, the empty space will be filled with dental cement and a stainless steel crown will be placed to restore the tooth.

A more invasive procedure usually required when the cavity has reached the pulp chamber and the root canals. During a pulpectomy, the dentist will remove all of the infected pulp from the pulp chamber, root canals, and the root of the affected tooth. This procedure is more complex and quite similar to a root canal.

Procedure used to stimulate root development or closing of the root end (i.e., open apex). An open apex is often found in teeth that are not fully developed (“immature”) or whose roots have been eroded away by a process known as resorption. This complicates root canal therapy by making it difficult to seal the root canals with routine methods. The goal of this treatment is to form a hard tissue barrier at the end of a root with an open apex. This allows the root canal to be sealed in a traditional manner.

Regenerative endodontic treatment is an innovative approach for treating infected immature teeth. It utilizes tissue engineering to allow for better long-term prognosis for the tooth. The goal is to stimulate the body’s natural cells to widen and lengthen immature roots. Regenerative therapies require more frequent follow-up visits to monitor health of the tooth over time.

Root amputation refers to the removal of one root in a multi-rooted tooth. These procedures may become options for treatment when there is a persistent endodontic failure in ONLY one root of a “key tooth” which must be kept, or if there is significant bone loss around an individual root due to periodontal (gum) disease. With the advent of modern dental  implants, hemisection and root amputation are often done as a “temporary measure” to allow enough bone healing, so an implant can be placed at a later date. This procedure involves removal of one-half of a tooth. The remaining half will be restored as a one-rooted tooth, and is usually attached or anchored to an adjacent tooth, for additional support and stability.

Also known as laughing gas, provides a quick, simple form of sedation. You’ll inhale a mix of nitrous oxide and oxygen through a face mask, with the balance of these two gases controlled by the dentist to ensure both safety and optimal results. This mild sedation wears off quickly once you stop inhaling it.