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Dear patients, please be advised that Cornerstone Family Dentistry is following new COVID-19 guidelines to ensure the safety and health of our patients, team and families. To learn more about our new office protocols, please click here.

Root Canal Therapy

Oh – the dreaded root canal.  The mere sound of the word makes people shudder with fear.  But nothing could be farther from the truth, – In the past root canals have received a bad wrap, but when properly performed, a root canal is no more painful than any other procedure done in a dental office.

A tooth is made up of a number of layers, in the center is a pulp chamber, which houses the blood vessels and the nerves that gives teeth their vitality and sensation.  On occasion this area can become infected either due to a deep cavity or a crack or fracture in the tooth. If left untreated the tooth will abscess causing pain and swelling which, if left untreated, can be life threatening.

Root canals are most commonly diagnosed using a radiograph called a periapical (p.a.). When a tooth receives a root canal we start by freezing (anesthetizing) the area. Once the tooth is numb we access the pulp area, remove the infected material from inside the tooth and then fill the tooth with material that allows you to keep your tooth.  A final filling is placed on the tooth and usually a crown will also be recommended. The procedure takes approximately 1-1 ½ hours and patients are fine to continue on about their daily activities afterwards.