Root Canal Therapy

A root canal is a root filling. It is necessary when the nerve in a tooth is injured and/or dies. A dead nerve sometimes can be seen on an x-ray. This is noted by the dark area at the bottom of the root tips on the first radiograph (x-ray) below. Root canal therapy can be done in one or several visits. A root canal helps an infected tooth heal. During the procedure the inside of the tooth is cleaned and filled. Afterwards, the tooth will need either a filling or a post & core and crown.

The radiograph (x-ray) series below shows an example of the root canal process. This patient initially presented with infection and pain but had immediate relief of symptoms following the first visit. Complete healing is noted on the one-year followup radiograph (x-ray). The healing is evidenced by an abscence of a dark area around the root tips, indicating that new bone has grown in the area of previous infection. The very white area inside the roots is the root canal filling material which is gutta percha, a derivative of a South American gum tree. This material is commercially packaged as root canal filling material and is recommended by the University of Connecticut Dental School.

Before Root Canal Therapy	After Therapy	1 Year After Therapy