Root Canal Treatment

1.Simply put, a root canal is a procedure to clean out diseased tissue and infection from the inner pulp chamber and root canal of your tooth in order to relieve pain and save your tooth. Dr. Raymond will administer local anesthetic. Once the tooth is profoundly numb, he will place a small protective rubber sheet – a “dental dam” – over the area to isolate the tooth. This protective barrier keeps our disinfecting chemicals from entering your mouth and prevents the saliva and bacteria inside your mouth from entering the tooth while we clean it.

2. Working with his assistant under the surgical microscope and xenon lighting, Dr. Raymond will make an opening in the crown of the tooth. Very small instruments are then used to clean the diseased or infected pulpal tissue from the internal root canals and to shape the canals for the filling material.

3. After the canals are cleaned and shaped, Dr. Raymond will fill the root canals with a natural biocompatible material, usually a rubber-like substance called “gutta-percha.” The gutta-percha is placed to ensure a complete sealing of the root canals. Following the sealing of the roots, Dr. Raymond will place a hard restoration in the tooth to further seal off the root canal system from the oral cavity.

4. After the treatment with Dr. Raymond, you may need to return to your dentist to have a crown – or other restoration – placed on the tooth to protect and restore it to full function. If the treatment is successful, you should see regeneration of the missing bone one to two years after treatment.