Steps of a Root Canal

Roderick Garcia DMD

Introduction As owner of an independent dental practice in Albuquerque, New

Mexico, Roderick Garcia, DMD, offers comprehensive dental care for patients of all ages. Roderick Garcia, DMD, draws on extensive experience performing root canals in a comfortable and compassionate environment.

When the innermost part of a tooth becomes infected, inflamed, or injured, a root canal procedure can remove the damaged nerve and save the tooth. It is an in-depth yet routine procedure that, from the patient's perspective, requires little more than stillness.

The process begins when the dentist numbs the tooth and places over it a dental dam, a thin sheet of flexible material with a hole through which the tooth can emerge. The dam serves to isolate the tooth during the procedure, so that saliva and its naturally occurring bacteria do not contaminate the procedure site.

Root Canal The dentist then uses a standard drill to make an access

cavity in the tooth. Through this cavity, the dentist uses specialized instrumentation to closely examine the root canal and precisely measure its length, so that he or she can ensure a complete cleaning of the cavity. The dentist can then begin to clean out the canal using a series of tapered files, which remove the infected tissue.

During the cleaning process, the dentist will routinely irrigate the canal with a disinfectant solution. Only when the root canal is completely clean and empty can the dentist introduce a filling material into the tooth's root canal. After the tooth's canal is filled, usually with gutta-percha, the opening at the surface is filled like any other cavity.

Conclusion If an active infection is present, however, the

dentist may choose not to seal the tooth immediately. Instead, he or she will place medication in the tooth and apply a temporary filling, so that the tooth remains clean while the medication takes effect. The patient then returns for a permanent filling.

In some cases, the patient will need to return to the dentist's office again to receive a crown. This fits over the tooth and provides structural support, as a lack of blood supply and pulp material or other damage can result is some teeth becoming fragile.