Root Canal Treatment in Spring Valley, NY

Main Street Dental Care offers a variety of restorative treatments to help you regain oral health after you have been affected by dental issues in Spring Valley, NY. Dental fillings are commonly used as the treatment to remedy cavities and stop them from causing further damage. If the damage has already progressed, however, and it threatens the dental pulp in the center of the tooth, another treatment, known as a root canal, will become necessary. While this treatment is more invasive than a dental filling, it is still preferred over tooth extraction.

What is a root canal treatment?

In the center of the tooth is the dental pulp. This area containing the nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissues of the tooth is protected underneath the layers of enamel and dentin of the tooth. When decay develops, it generally stays on the outer layers of the tooth until it is treated with a dental filling. If it manages to reach the dental pulp, a filling will no longer be sufficient, and a root canal will be needed to restore the tooth to health. The decay will be cleaned out of this inner portion of the tooth, and some material will be used to fill the space in again.

Procedure

Depending on the condition of the tooth, the procedure may require two separate appointments at Main Street Dental Care. The affected tooth will first be anesthetized. It’s a common misconception that root canals are painful procedures, but because the tooth is numbed in this way, you should experience little pain or discomfort during the treatment.

Your dentist will isolate the tooth to keep it dry and clean during the procedure by using a sheet of latex rubber called a dental dam. A hole will then be made into the top of the tooth to allow access to the inside. Your dentist will remove the pulp through this hole and clean away all traces of decay. He or she will then reshape the canal to discourage bacteria from building up in that area again. A biocompatible material will be placed into the canal to restore the structure and function to the tooth. Then, a temporary crown will be placed onto the tooth until a permanent one can be created and bonded to your tooth in Spring Valley, NY.