- Root Canal Therapy - Endodontics -

Root canal treatment is the removal of the inflamed or infected nerve of the tooth. This is often required after a tooth has been traumatised by decay, cracks or injury.

Some common signs of an infected tooth include:

• Extreme throbbing
• Excessive sensitivity to temperature
• Toothache
• Swelling of the gum or face
• Pain when chewing food
• Bad taste in the mouth and bad breath

If you have any of these symptoms, please make an appointment with BB Dental Cairns Dentist so that we may investigate further.

Root canal treatment (RCT) is a way of retaining a fully functional tooth which would otherwise be lost. A root canal is performed over several visits, depending on the particular case.

Visit 1: An opening is made at the top of the tooth to access the nerve and eliminate the pain.

Visit 2: The chamber and root canals are cleaned and slightly enlarged, and medication is placed in the canal and sealed for a period of time.

Visit 3: The canals are sealed with a rubbery filling material and the tooth is then restored.

Once a root canal is completed, the tooth is restored with a bonded filling or crown. A crown encircles the tooth, protecting it from further decay or tooth fracture.

Root canal treatment is now a routine dental treatment, and with good anaesthesia, is relatively painless. The introduction of rotary files in recent times has improved the process, making it more comfortable than it was years ago.

The cost of RCT depends on the number of canals the tooth has. As with all major treatment plans, an estimate of costs and item numbers will be provided prior to provision of treatment by BB Dental Cairns Dentist.