Root canal therapy is one of our most common procedures. This treatment is needed when the pulp inside your tooth becomes inflamed or infected due to decay, repeated dental procedures, injury, or a chipped or fractured tooth. If not treated, you could develop pain or abscess. In this procedure, your endodontist will remove the pulp, clean and shape the canal, and then fill and seal the area. Root canal therapy usually requires two appointments. In the first appointment, your tooth will be treated with an antimicrobial medication after the canals are cleaned and shaped. Once all signs of infection are gone, the medication will be removed, and you can return to your dentist for a crown. Root canal therapy restores your tooth to a healthy condition, so it can continue to function like a normal tooth.

Sometimes, the root canal space in a tooth treated by root canal therapy becomes re-infected, and requires retreatment. This can happen due to decay or an unsuccessful restoration following a previous root canal. In this procedure, the initial root filling material will be removed, and the endodontist will clean the canals, re-fill and re-seal the space.

An apicoectomy or root-end resection is a surgical form of root canal therapy that can help save a tooth following a persistent inflammation or infection after a root canal procedure. In this treatment, your endodontist will open the gum tissue by the tooth to reveal the bone, and remove any inflamed or infected tissue, as well as the end of the root. A small filling is then placed in the remaining canals.

Trauma or developmental abnormalities can cause infection in the pulp of a child’s tooth. Because the tooth is still developing, pulpal regeneration can be performed, allowing the root of the tooth to fully form. This strengthens the tooth, and leads to a better long-term prognosis. In a pulpal regeneration procedure, the infected canal is cleaned, shaped, and filled with an antibiotic mixture that remains in the tooth for a month. Bleeding is stimulated, allowing the tooth to regenerate vasculature and nerve fibers, and enabling the root to continue to develop.

Core build-up is a procedure that restores a tooth after a root canal, and before the placement of a crown. In some cases, your endodontist may place a post inside the tooth to retain the core buildup and support the crown.