Before the procedure you’ll be given a local anesthetic to dull the pain. And if the nerves in the tooth are dead already you might not feel any pain in the tooth at all. If you do feel any pain or discomfort after your root canal treatment schedule an appointment with your dentist to take a look.

The bacteria and other dying pulp remnants can cause an infection or abscessed tooth. An abscess is a pus-filled pocket that forms at the end of a tooth’s root. In addition to an abscess an infection in the root canal of a tooth can cause swelling that may spread to other areas of the face neck or head.

A tooth is likely to be treated in two appointments if it is getting a retreatment (being treated a second time). Patients are often curious how long a root canal takes to finish. They can generally expect one or two appointments of about 90 minutes each.

Once the nerve becomes infected a root canal treatment is the only way to remove the infected nerve and save the tooth. Infections inside the teeth do not respond to antibiotic treatment! Nerve inflammation caused by the infection restricts the tooth’s blood supply so antibiotics can’t easily reach the infected area.

Although initial root canal treatment should have a success rate between 85% and 97% depending on the circumstance about 30% of my work as an endodontist consists of re-doing a failing root canal that was done by someone else. Root canals often fail for the following five reasons: Missed canals.

Please avoid using the root canal treated tooth for chewing crunch or hard food since doing so may cause discomfort or fracture. … You may brush and floss the treated tooth gently but should not floss if the temporary filling was placed in the space between teeth.

Yes you can. You will be numb for 2-3 hours after your appointment but you should be in good shape to continue your regular schedule. You should not eat until the numbness is gone.

In these cases you may need the strength crowns provide. Premolars and molars that are at low risk of fracture may also be suitable for filling-only restorations after root canals. Front teeth may not need a crown for strength but you might still refer the improved appearance a crown offers.

Generally front teeth have one canal and the back teeth have multiple canals. Root canal treatment usually takes one to three visits depending on the difficulty of the canal system; more canals and curved roots may take more visits or a complicated infection may take longer to complete.