Root canal therapy is offered as a treatment to help restore the healthy portion of the tooth, without resorting to extraction.
Many tooth problems involve infections that spread to the pulp, the inner chamber of the tooth containing blood vessels, nerves and other tissues. When the infection gets worse, it can begin affecting the roots. An injury to a tooth can also compromise the pulp, leading to similar problems.
Root canals are passageways that branch off from beneath the top of the tooth, working their way vertically downward until they reach the tip of the root.
A diseased inner tooth can pose a host of problems. Pain and sensitivity are just some of the first indications of a problem, while inside, the spreading infection can cause small pockets of pus to develop, leading to an abscess.
Root canal therapy is a remarkable treatment that has a very high rate of success. It involves removing the diseased tissue, to stop the spread of infection, and restoring the healthy portion of the tooth. Root canal therapy is designed to save a problem tooth; before this procedure was developed and gained acceptance, the only alternative for treating a diseased tooth was extraction.
