Root Canals
A severely damaged, decaying tooth or a tooth infection (abscess) can be serious and may require a root canal. Root canal procedure is performed to repair and save your tooth instead of removing it.
What’s Involved in Root Canal Repair?
The soft tissue know as pulp inside your tooth that contains nerves, blood vessels and provides nourishment for your tooth.
Teeth can become infected if you have:
- A deep cavity
- Repeated dental procedures that disturb this tissue
- A cracked or fractured tooth
- Injury to the tooth (even if there’s not a visible crack or chip)
When a tooth root is infected you will often feel pain and swelling and an abscess may form inside the tooth and/or in the bone around the end of the root of the tooth.
An infection can also put you at risk of losing your tooth completely because bacteria can damage the bone that keeps your tooth connected to your jaw.