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11 - LEARN MORE ABOUT This information is supplied to help explain complicated topics and help you to understand more about your health. It is not designed to replace the advice of the dentist. If you are unsure about anything here ask your dentist or hygienist. ROOT CANAL TREATMENT (ROOT FILLING) Gentle dentistry for you … Quick summary A root filling is a means of potentially saving a tooth which has died off or become infected. Root fillings can be long and complicated but are not usually painful. Root filled teeth once settled are much stronger with a crown placed over them. We are keen to hear feedback on this leaflet and any aspect of our practice… please feel free to send your feedback in by post to the address below or send us an email to [email protected]. Thank you. Northway Dental Practice Copyright Simon N Khoury Northway Dental Practice 2013. No unauthorised reproduction or broadcast permitted. North Way, Midsomer Norton BATH, BA3 2DY Phone (01761) 413663 Fax (01761) 418 163 at Northway Dental Practice ROOT FILLINGS What is a root filling? A root filling or root canal treatment is usually a rubber based material that goes into the space where the blood and nerve supply (called the pulp) used to be, inside a tooth, when this dies or becomes infected. Why might I need a root filling? If the pulp inside the tooth becomes infected with bacteria then a dental abscess will form. Without a root filling the tooth would have to be removed to get the abscess to resolve. So what a root filling really does is to (potentially) save your tooth. What does it involve? The aim of the treatment is to remove any infection (bacteria) and any remnant of the nerves and blood vessels from the tooth. Then a root filling is placed to prevent any more bacteria getting into the tooth. It may take one or two visits. Root filling is time consuming and takes great skill and judgment. Once the tooth is treated, a permanent filling is put into the tooth. Crowning a tooth (see below) can be performed later on. Does it always work? Most of the time it woks well. An audit we have done here at Northway Dental showed a 5 year success rate of 83%. It is worth saying though that if unsuccessful then the tooth might need to come out. Here are some images which explain the process. Because of the complexity of root filling treatments and the fact that all teeth are different in shape and anatomy we cannot offer a guarantee that it will work. The fees charged are to cover the time it takes to do the treatment. Is it painful? People will tell you tales of painful root fillings often done a long time ago when local anaesthetics and techniques were not as good as they are now. We always use plenty of strong local anaesthetic and it is very rare for root filling to be painful. How strong will the tooth be afterward? Root filled teeth will not be as strong once the treatment is completed because they dry-out so are less supple, and because sometimes a lot of tooth has to be removed to put the root filling in. We recommend that a crown (see leaflet no. 10) be placed over a root filled tooth once we are sure it has settled down and the root filling is successful. Each tooth and each patient is unique so the exact circumstances will need to be discussed with your dentist.