Root Canal
Root canal therapy has a worse reputation than it deserves. It is the treatment that stops the pain rather than causing it, and it saves a tooth that would otherwise have to come out.
Root canal therapy in Northridge, CA
A root canal becomes necessary when the pulp inside a tooth, the soft tissue containing the nerve and blood supply, becomes infected or inflamed. That usually follows deep decay, a crack, or an injury. Left untreated, the infection leads to severe pain, swelling, and eventually loss of the tooth.
Signs you may need one
Persistent tooth pain
Sensitivity to hot or cold that lingers
Swelling or tenderness in the gums
Darkening of the tooth
How the treatment works
The whole procedure is done under local anesthetic. The goal is to remove the infection while keeping the tooth itself in place.
Removing the infection
The infected pulp is carefully extracted from inside the tooth, which is what relieves the pain that brought you in.
Cleaning and sealing
The interior of the tooth is cleaned, disinfected, and then sealed so bacteria cannot re-enter the canal.
Restoring the tooth
In most cases a crown is placed over the tooth. Without the pulp it becomes more brittle, and the crown restores its strength for normal chewing.
If the idea makes you anxious
Plenty of patients arrive nervous about this specific procedure, usually because of its reputation rather than any experience of it. We explain each step as we go, and sedation and hypno dentistry are both available if that would help. Say so when you book.
Root canal therapy is part of our endodontics care. Where infection persists after treatment, endodontic surgery is the next step rather than extraction.
Frequently asked questions about root canal therapy
When the pulp inside a tooth becomes infected or inflamed, usually from deep decay, a crack, or trauma. Treating it promptly relieves the pain and saves the natural tooth, which is almost always preferable to extracting and replacing it.
It can be. Severe pain, facial swelling, or signs of spreading infection need to be seen quickly, since an untreated infection does not stay put. Call us rather than waiting for a routine slot, and see our emergency dentistry page.
Usually. Removing the pulp leaves the tooth more brittle, so a crown protects it from fracturing under normal chewing. Root canal and crown generally go together as one treatment plan.
That is called retreatment. We reopen the tooth, clean the canals again, and reseal them. If retreatment is not enough, endodontic surgery is the next option before extraction is considered.
The procedure is done under local anesthetic, so you should not feel it. Most patients find the relief afterward far outweighs the appointment itself, since the pain that brought them in was the infection, not the treatment. If you are anxious, ask about sedation.
In pain? Do not wait it out.
Relief, and your tooth kept
Tooth pain rarely resolves on its own, and infections spread. Book an appointment and we will find out what is actually going on.