Endodontics

A tooth saving solution

Endodontics is treatment to improve the health of the inside of a tooth. If the soft pulp inside a tooth becomes exposed for some reason, it is likely to become infected causing pain and the possibility of the infection spreading. Endodontics can save a tooth.

Symptoms that may alert you to the need for treatment are:

• swelling around the margin where the tooth meets the gum
• a lesion or abscess on the gum
• toothache made worse by temperature changes or pressure
• chips or cracks in a tooth
• discolouration

If an infection has taken hold in the pulp, the root canals need to be cleaned and disinfected. The treatment is performed under local anaesthetic. In the past, root canal treatments had a reputation for pain. With improved modern anaesthetics the procedure is tolerable. Patients agree that while it’s not a comfortable experience, it is pain-free. Most importantly, after treatment there is no infection left to spread damage and the tooth is sealed to prevent further infection.

“Had an appointment with my dentist this afternoon. Root canal treatment. The man is a genius. He is kind and re-assuring, explaining everything he was doing and the way forward. Injection has worn off and feels so much better. Thank you so so much.” CP – a SpaDental Plymouth patient

Endodontics – root canal therapy

• relieves pain
• prevents the spread of infection
• avoids the expense of replacing a lost tooth
• enables you to keep your own tooth