Our Procedures

Root Canal Therapy

Fillings, Crowns & Root Canals, An Overview

The nerve tissue inside the tooth is housed in a hollow tube called the "root canal system", which consists of a pulp chamber and nerve canals. There are a number of reasons a nerve can become infected: extensive decay, trauma, or cyst formation.   Infection in this area is often associated with toothaches and the formation of puss (abscess).

Root canal therapy is a procedure designed to remove the infection, eliminate toothaches and save the tooth.  Without this procedure, the tooth must be extracted, or the infection can spread to other parts of the body. Root canal therapy is sometimes also needed to facilitate the placement of a post so as to restore a tooth that is badly broken down.

Aren't Root Canals Painful?

Many people are concerned by the potential pain of a root canal procedure. You may be surprised to learn that modern day root canal therapy is usually painless and no more uncomfortable than having a filling placed.

Root Canal Procedure

After sufficiently numbing the area, Dr. Ghetiya creates an opening on the surface of the tooth. He then removes any decayed tissue or bacteria. An instrument called a root canal file is then used to remove the nerve fibers and clean out infected tissue from within the thin canals. We use magnifying equipment to aid in the procedure.

Next, the inside of the tooth is thoroughly cleaned and supplied with initial filling material, accompanied by medications to soothe the area.

A final filling, such as those used to fix cavities, is applied to the surface of the tooth. In many cases, a crown is placed instead of a filling to provide more structural support for the tooth.

Most often, both the diagnostic exam and the root canal procedure can be completed in one office visit.