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Root canal treatment

We can save your tooth using endodontics.

Root Canal Treatment for many patients has been in the past been less than ideal. This is partly due to the time, skill and technology it takes to prepare and carefully fill the canal where you tooth nerve once lived.

root Canal in West Malling

Specialist Root Canal Treatment

If the pulp (the tooth blood nerve supply) becomes infected, the infection may spread throughout the root system of the tooth and create an abscess. This can be very painful and the tooth may sometimes need to be extracted. Effective Root canal treatment can prevent the spread of infection and save the tooth.

As a progressive private practice we pride ourselves in producing root fillings that stand out from the rest. We were well ahead of our time introducing advanced root canal technology including precision painless root length measuring equipment (Apexfinder – see photo) and pro-taper root canal preparing files- that are resistant to fracture and highly effective thus reducing the time it takes to create the best root filling of each root.

Mr. Miller having had a particular interest in gentle, longer lasting root canal treatments himself, has the pleasure of recommending our root canal specialist David Bevan.

Apexfinder

Root canal procedure

You will need to have at least two appointments if you have root canal treatment by endodontist .

Appointment 1

Access, disinfection and dressing.

  1. At the first visit, the dentist will remove any infected pulp and drain any abscesses. The root canal can then be cleaned and shaped ready for filling.
  2. A temporary root filling is placed and the tooth is left for a short time to settle down before the next stage of the treatment.

Appointment 2

Tooth cleaned further and canal system sealed.

  1. The dentist will check that the root canals are clear from infection before cleaning further within, then the root canal system is sealed with root filling materials. 
  2. Ideally, the tooth will then be crowned. The dentist will advise you on the best option for you.
  3. Our careful, gentle and precise root canal treatments are very successful and no further root treatment is normally required. However, if the infection does return, the treatment can sometimes be repeated.
  4. The tooth should be safe after treatment but is often prone to fracture because of the relative weakness of the root filled tooth. We therefore normally recommend (and especially on back teeth) that the tooth is crowned to give it extra support and strength in your bite.
  5. You could have the affected tooth removed. Once the pulp is destroyed, it cannot heal, and an infected (non root filled) tooth should not be left in the mouth. Some people prefer to have an infected tooth extracted and move toward a titanium dental implant . Leaving a gap is not recommended as it tends to shorten the life of the surrounding teeth which must take more weight of bite and may move into the gap left-making oral hygiene difficult.