Root Canal Therapy at Ardas Family Dental

 

We are experienced providers of tooth restorations at Ardas Family Dental in Parker, but we still work hard to save natural teeth. Although implants, dentures, bridges, and crowns all benefit a patient whose teeth need to be removed, sometimes an injured tooth can be rescued with root canal therapy. This is especially the case with children, whose baby teeth aren’t suited for permanent tooth prosthetics, so to get patients more comfortable with root canals, we wanted to explain more about them.

Our teeth contain chambers of pulp connected to the rest of the circulatory system by blood vessels routed through the tooth roots. If a tooth cracks or suffers severe decay, bacteria can enter the pulp chamber and cause an infection. This would be painful and cause bad breath, but it could get worse if the bacteria spreads further into the bloodstream or builds up at the base of the tooth roots. For this reason, a dentist would remove the infected pulp by performing root canal therapy.

Patients are always numbed during root canals. We also offer sedative options for those who are nervous. During the procedure, the dentist drills a hole into the tooth that the pulp can be removed through. The chamber and incision are then sealed. Sometimes, the damaged crown also needs to be replaced. In a baby tooth, this can be done with a metal cap that can be shaped in the office. For adult teeth, a replacement crown would mean a return appointment, but the finished crown would be permanent and colored like a natural tooth. If the infection recurs, we could consider options such as extraction, in which case an adult tooth might be replaced with an implant and the gap from a baby tooth might be held open with a retainer. But most root canals are successful and leave the patient much more comfortable with their teeth and in better health.

Dr. Roopi Kattaura operates Ardas Family Dental at 10233 S Parker Rd, Suite 205, Parker, Colorado. Call 720-459-8420.