828 NE A St, Grants Pass, OR 97526
What is Root Canal Therapy?
A root canal is a restorative endodontic treatment used to relieve pain and cure a tooth infection as a result of damage to the dental pulp from tooth decay or dental trauma. Underneath the enamel and dentin layers, you’ll find the dental pulp.
This is the soft center of your tooth, which is connected to the tooth’s nerves. This is why when you have an infection, you may experience a lot of pain and sensitivity.
To remove the infection, we carefully clear the affected pulp and root canals, then seal the tooth and fill the inside of the tooth with gutta-percha. Contact us at A Street Dental to schedule an appointment with Dr. Blake Anderson.
Types of Root Canals
Anterior
Anterior root canals are root canals performed in the front 6 teeth. This procedure is more difficult to perform in these teeth because of the little space and the more complex nature of gaining access into the tooth.
However, because these teeth are thinner, they contain fewer canals which make canal cleaning faster and require fewer appointments. There is also less pain associated with these teeth so patients may not require as much anesthetic.
We must create an access hole from the back of the tooth. A dental crown is typically not necessary, because these teeth are not used for chewing.
Posterior
Posterior root canals are performed in the rear teeth, such as the molars. Root canals are most commonly performed on posterior teeth because they are more likely to become decayed due to the extra pits and grooves which are difficult to clean.
In these teeth, we will make an access hole from the top chewing surface and this provides much better access to the dental pulp and canals. These teeth can contain up to 4 canals so cleaning and reshaping the canals may take multiple appointments.
Because these teeth withstand a lot of chewing forces, we may recommend that you place a dental crown to protect the tooth from damage.