Root Canal Therapy in Elk Grove, CA

Root Canals & Your Health

Dentistry is a dynamic field with new technological breakthroughs occurring every day. Dr. Elsemary and Dr. Salem are excited to work in this exciting professional and they stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in dentistry to provide our clients with the best possible care.

Modern dental medicine allows us to offer our patients more treatment options. For example, there was a time when extraction was the only option for a patient with a seriously infected tooth, but today it’s often possible to restore the tooth using root canal therapy.

What Is Root Canal Therapy?

The innermost layer of the tooth is called the pulp. This is the living tissue that nurtures your tooth — it contains blood vessels, nerve fibers, and connective tissues. If the pulp gets infected, it can kill the tooth.

Root canal therapy is a procedure that allows us to save an infected tooth by removing the damaged pulp and repairing the tooth with a dental crown.

Why Is a Root Canal Therapy Necessary?

Once the pulp is corrupted, bacteria can spread throughout the tooth. This can lead to infection or abscess, which means that a pus-filled bubble forms near the end of the root of your tooth. Infected tooth roots cause swelling, bone loss, and drainage problems that can leak into the gums or through the cheek and into the skin.

While your dentist will be able to identify an infected tooth better than anyone, there are a few signs that can help you determine that you may need root canal therapy:

• A pimple-like swelling on the gums
• The tooth will change color, turning yellow, black, or gray
• Swelling of the gums around the tooth
• Severe pain while chewing or applying pressure
• Extreme sensitivity to hot or cold temperatures

Please call our office right away at 916-683-3841 if you notice any of these symptoms.

The Root Canal Therapy Process

When Dr. Elsemary or Dr. Salem decides that root canal therapy is the best strategy for saving an infected tooth, they’ll start by taking x-rays. These images will allow us to see the shape of the root canals and identify signs of infection surrounding the bone.

After applying a local anesthetic, your dentist will use a sheet of latex to isolate the damaged tooth. Then they’ll create a small access hole that they’ll use to remove the pulp, bacteria, and other debris.

Once the tooth is clear of infection, we’ll flush out excess debris and fill the empty cavity using a rubber-like substance called gutta percha.

Then we’ll restore the tooth and protect it from further damage using a dental crown. Like all of our restorations, your dental crown is custom-made to match the shape, size, and color of your teeth to blend in perfectly with your smile.

Thanks to our advanced CEREC technology, we can perform your root canal therapy and place your crown all in one day. But other dentists require you to wait at least a week for the restoration to return from the lab before they can complete the procedure.

What to Expect After Root Canal Therapy

Once the treatment is complete, your pain should dissipate. However, until your smile has fully healed, we recommend avoiding chewing on the concerned tooth. During the first couple of days after treatment, there might be some sensitivity, inflammation, or pain. We can usually reduce this discomfort with an over-the-counter drug like ibuprofen.

To keep your restored tooth and the rest of your smile healthy, we recommend maintaining the correct oral care regimen — brushing twice a day, flossing daily, and visiting Wackford Dental for regular checkups twice a year.