When the pulp of your tooth becomes exposed to bacteria and plaque, whether through dental injury or trauma or significant decay causing a deep cavity, the pulp will become infected – this can cause severe pain, or worse, can lead to the formation of a dental abscess which has the potential to spread and cause more severe illness. 

Having a Root Canal Treatment will remove all the infection from your tooth by replacing the decayed and dying nerves, blood vessels, and tissues of the interior of your tooth with a synthetic dental sealant, relieving any pain or sensitivity and preventing the risk of the infection spreading – all while saving your natural tooth and avoiding the need for it to be removed. 
 

The length of your treatment will depend on the complexity of the internal anatomy of your tooth, and in some cases the size (as with larger back teeth such as molars). In some cases, your treatment can be started and completed in a single visit – your dentist will ensure you are scheduled in for a second appointment if one is required, before you leave the clinic after your initial treatment visit. They will also be able to give you an estimation of total treatment time at this first visit. 
 

When a damaged or deeply decayed tooth requires Root Canal Treatment, it is because the pulp within the tooth is in the process of dying or indeed has already died – this process is what causes the sensitivity or pain induced by an infection of the root. The aim of treatment is to remove all traces of dead and infected pulp tissues from within your tooth and so entirely sterilise your inner tooth structures of all harmful bacteria. 

As a result, your tooth may feel slightly different after treatment is complete until you become used to the new sensation because while your exterior tooth structure is preserved, the nerves within your tooth which could feel cold and pressure are no longer present.
 

At Truly, we understand the importance of preserving the unique function, feel and quality of a natural tooth, and know that it is always best to maintain a patient’s natural teeth whenever possible. 

When the pulp within your tooth begins to die, the only options remaining are a Root Canal Treatment or Tooth Extraction. If an infection is very far along or the tooth is irreparably damaged, a root canal treatment will in uncommon cases not be possible to complete, in which case your dentist will discuss your options for extraction with you. 

A Root Canal Treatment, carried out by a skilled and experienced dentist, conserves as much of your original tooth structure as possible, maintaining your individual smile and preserving your natural jawbone. Under these conditions, as found at Truly’s modern, specialised practice, this treatment has a success rate of approximately 95%, and if in the rare case it fails as medical procedures unfortunately can at times, you will always have other options to fall back on. 

Having a tooth extracted has the potential to cause more harm, expense, or both in the long run – a missing tooth means that chewing can become difficult, your natural bone level will recede as there is no root in position, which can gradually change your facial structure, and this gap evident in your smile can affect confidence or self-esteem in the immediate aftermath of an extraction and over time. 

That being said there are many effective options to replace a space in your smile such as Dental Implants, Bridges, or Dentures. However patients who have opted to avoid root canal treatment due to its relative cost in comparison with tooth extraction, would be advised at the treatment planning stage with their dentist of the breakdown of total costs for these restoration options also. 

As with all procedures, at Truly your dentist will be able to provide you with the best advice for your specific situation, working in partnership with you and looking at your full treatment and smile goals at once, never thinking just one stage at a time – to ensure that you are never in the dark regarding your dental care and full range of options, and are always provided with the information and expert recommendations you need to make informed decisions to achieve results you’re happy with. 

 

No two situations or patients are ever identical, and therefore you should always be guided by the advice of your dentist, who has carried out your treatment following a comprehensive examination and analysis of your mouth, tooth damage and placement and root structure, and is best placed to advise you specifically for your own situation. Your dentist will only recommend a crown following your root canal treatment if that restoration is necessary and offers you the best protection and reinforcement of your natural tooth structure and safeguarding of your overall oral health, and other restoration options are available for your tooth if those are appropriate to your case. 

In the vast majority of cases if you have had Root Canal Treatment on a back tooth your dentist will recommend either a dental Onlay or Crown following treatment. Root canal-treated teeth are significantly weaker than other teeth, as the living part of the tooth (the pulp) has been removed. Reinforcement with an onlay or crown will greatly reduce the risk of catastrophic tooth fracture and failure, which is particularly important to consider for the back teeth, where the greatest pressure and external forces are consistently applied to the teeth due to daily heavy-duty chewing. 
 

No, Root Canal Treatment is a highly researched treatment that has been carried out successfully for many years, with a vast accumulated body of practice worldwide. It is a highly effective, safe way to remove infection of the root and pulp of a tooth while allowing you to keep your natural tooth and avoid extraction. 

 

Teeth that have undergone Root Canal Treatment can sometimes appear darker than your other teeth – this is due to the previous disease process which originally caused your pulp to become infected, which makes root canal-treated teeth prone to discolouration.

If this does happen to you, your dentist can recommend specialised internal whitening procedures at our Dublin city centre clinic, or if your tooth is more severely stained following your treatment, there are a number of cosmetic options, such as full Dental Crowns, which will strengthen your tooth in addition to restoring its beautiful, natural whiteness, or Veneers, which are thin, colour-matched cosmetic layers which can be placed on the front of your tooth to instantly improve the appearance. 
 

Root Canal Treatment is a tried and tested staple of modern dental care, and is successful in over 95% of all cases. On the rare occasion that a tooth doesn’t settle correctly after treatment, you may require either Root Canal Retreatment. or your dentist may need to remove the infected nerve tip entirely by a surgical procedure known as an apicectomy. This is very rare indeed but even if this procedure is called for, your natural tooth can still generally be preserved, and extraction of the tooth avoided.