Root Canal Therapy

[00:00:08.429] A root canal is where the tissue inside the tooth has died [00:00:13.843] and is no longer alive or viable, or it is on its way to dying, [00:00:18.671] and gives off a lot of factors to let you know that this tooth [00:00:21.871] is not in good health or in good shape. [00:00:24.457] We get in there and we usually take care of the tooth by opening the tooth up, [00:00:28.629] finding the central canal or cave that the main nerve lives in, [00:00:32.672] and then we chase it down the different caves or canals [00:00:35.158] that we get to try to eventually take care of all the nerve tissue, [00:00:39.042] both mechanically and chemically removing the nerve tissue. [00:00:42.514] The biggest question that I ask my patients is, [00:00:44.770] does this tooth hurt you when you're not eating [00:00:47.214] or chewing on anything? [00:00:48.858] Does it wake you up at night? [00:00:50.115] Does it bother you while driving in the car? [00:00:52.243] If those answers are yes, then we typically are starting [00:00:54.601] to have an issue with the tooth. [00:00:56.472] We take a 3D X-ray to make sure that we know how many canals are in each tooth [00:01:01.430] before we get started, so we know that we can complete all of those areas. [00:01:05.544] We also do sedation, and a lot of patients don't want to be awake [00:01:08.800] when they have their root canals done. [00:01:10.187] The root canals are usually given a bad name. [00:01:12.572] There are times where they can be a little difficult, [00:01:15.415] but if they're done properly and they have an antibiotic ahead of time, [00:01:19.072] especially for a bad abscess, [00:01:20.860] then, usually, root canals are a fairly routine procedure [00:01:24.337] in the dental office.