A root canal is needed when the nerve of a tooth has become damaged by injury or infected by decay. In situations where the crown of the tooth is heavily damaged or decayed, this may include rebuilding the tooth with a post and a crown to restore it to optimal appearance and function.
For the first step of this procedure, your doctor numbs the area around your tooth, removes any decayed tooth material, and creates a channel to access the root’s interior.
Your doctor will then remove the infected nerve tissue from the root, and flush and clean the area.
Next, the root is filled with a special sealing material, and a supporting post or posts are placed inside the tooth.
The tooth interior is then built up with composite, which is bonded and hardened using a special curing light.
With the tooth built up and cured, your doctor will finish preparing the tooth for the crown.
An impression is taken of the prepared tooth and sent to a dental laboratory. A temporary crown is put in place while the final version is being crafted.
At a subsequent appointment, your doctor will remove the temporary crown and replace it with the final restoration.
Once completed, your tooth is now restored to optimal shape and function.
Copyright © 2018 Spear Education. All rights reserved.
Related Articles
Apicoectomy
Sometimes even after endodontic treatment (a root canal) has been performed on a tooth, some…
Read more
Progression of Decay
The process of tooth decay starts with plaque and bacteria building up on the tooth…
Read more