Root canal therapy, or endodontics, is a highly effective way to treat teeth that have become very badly infected. A tooth requiring endodontic therapy will have an infected pulp. The pulp is the central part of the tooth that contains living tissue including nerves and blood vessels.
If bacteria penetrate the pulp, perhaps where a tooth is decayed or damaged, then it can become inflamed and infected. Root canal therapy is a highly effective way of saving teeth that have become infected by removing the pulp tissue and cleaning out the empty cavity that will extend into the root canals in the roots of the tooth.
How Can Laser Therapy Help with This Process?
During root canal therapy, it’s important that all the bacterial infection is removed. This can sometimes be tricky as root canals vary in their shape and size and their number. For example a back tooth will have a greater number of root canals compared with front tooth which probably has just one root canal. Lasers can be useful during this process as they are a great way of removing infected tissues and can eliminate bacteria, effectively sterilizing the area in a way that is very quick and painless.
Another advantage of using laser therapy is that often there is less discomfort after root canal therapy is completed. Even though root canal treatment is excellent for getting rid of pain and discomfort in a badly infected tooth, it still takes a few days for a tooth to settle down after treatment.
Traditional Endodontic Therapy Combined with Laser Therapy
Here at EnvySmile Dental Spa, we may well combine traditional endodontic therapy with more advanced techniques such as laser therapy. This helps to ensure our patients receive the best and most appropriate treatment as even though laser therapy is good, it’s not always the complete answer for this treatment. One disadvantage of laser therapy is that the laser light is delivered in a straight beam whereas root canals can be quite heavily curved. Mechanically removing bacteria and infected tissue and where possible removing infected tissues and sterilizing the treated area with a laser can often work best.
Other Techniques for Getting Rid of Infection in a Tooth
We also use other techniques to help eliminate bacteria such as thoroughly irrigating the area once it has been treated and sometimes we will use topical antibiotics. These are placed right into the newly cleaned tooth and help to get rid of any bacteria that may still be lurking. During this time the tooth is temporarily sealed and we don’t permanently restore it until we are completely sure it is no longer infected.
Restore Your Tooth with Dental Crown
Once the infection has been completely cleared up, we can permanently restore your tooth. It’s usually necessary to do this by covering it up with a dental crown. This is because a tooth that has been infected is often substantially weakened and it may have lost quite a bit of its original structure. By restoring it with a crown, we can restore its strength and structure and of course its appearance. Once treatment is completed, you should have a tooth that looks good and which feels very comfortable.