Root Canal Therapy
ROOT CANAL TREATMENT
We provide modern-day root canals with love and excellence. We’re proud to be one of the top providers of root canal therapy Charlotte, NC.
What is a root canal?
A root canal is a common dental treatment. It can save your natural teeth and prevent the need for extractions, dental implants, or bridges. It can even regrow the bone around your tooth!
To understand what a root canal does, you’ll need to know a little bit about tooth anatomy, so let’s take a quick tour of your teeth.
When you look at your tooth in the mirror, you’re only looking at part of it: the crown. It’s just the tip of the iceberg. Let’s take a peek inside your tooth!
The rest of the tooth, which is hidden beneath your gums, is called the root. The tissues, nerves, and blood vessels surrounding the root form a pulp, which is susceptible to bacteria from tooth decay, tooth fractures, gum disease, and other problems.
If the bacteria harm the pulp, it’s time for you to come see us!
Your endodontist will remove the diseased pulp. Then they’ll thoroughly clean and seal the root canal system. This will save your tooth, prevent further infection, and relieve your pain. This whole process is known as root canal therapy.
And if you’re wondering what an endodontist is, we’re dental specialists with tons of expertise in root canals! After we earned our dental degrees, we attended school for two additional years so we could learn all the ins and outs of root canals. While your general dentist might perform one or two root canals a week, an endodontist performs six to eight per day!
We’re your friendly, neighborhood root canal dentist Charlotte based, and ready to help you find tooth pain relief.
Why do I need a root canal?
You need a root canal to save your tooth!
When that harmful bacteria invades the pulp of your tooth, it can cause an infection in the tooth’s nerve. This can happen because of all kinds of things—tooth decay, a cavity, a crack in your tooth, or dental trauma, like knocking a tooth out. (Yes, believe it or not, we can often save teeth that have been knocked out!)
Not only can this infection be extremely painful, it can lead to serious illness and other health complications if you leave it untreated. So it’s really important that you don’t put off getting a root canal, if your dentist says you need one.
The truth is you have two options for treating this type of infection: have a root canal, or have the tooth extracted (removed).
Although there are some cases where extraction is necessary, more and more studies have shown that preserving your natural teeth is usually the better—and less expensive—option.
At the end of the day, you can trust us to be completely honest with you. If you come in and we determine you don’t actually need treatment, then we won’t treat you! We don’t perform a root canal on every patient who comes through the door.
First, we perform diagnostic testing to ensure that a root canal is the best treatment for your situation. Then, we will explain to you what your procedure will entail—it’s unique for every patient and every tooth! If there are various treatment options, we’ll always explain them to you fully, and we’ll guide you in the direction that will be most supportive for your well-being. That way, you can be sure that you can make the best decision for your health.
We at Ballantyne Endodontics are passionate about saving your teeth. In fact, our motto is Give Teeth a Chance! Trust our Charlotte root canal experts to complete your treatment.
Are root canals safe?
Root canals are both perfectly safe, extremely successful, and totally routine—especially when you come see an endodontist like us! Root canals are our jam. We perform them 5 days a week, all day long, so we’ll have you in and out with no fuss.
It’s important to know that not all bacteria is bad. Some are actually good for your health. Your root canal will restore your mouth’s balance of healthy bacteria, while allowing you to keep your natural teeth.
We use local anesthesia during the procedure to make sure you stay comfortable. In fact, it’s surprisingly common for our patients to take a nap during their treatment! You will even be able to drive home and continue your normal routine afterwards.
What happens after a root canal?
We’ll make sure you understand all your post-procedure instructions. We may give you some medication to help keep you comfortable or relieve any swelling, but most patients only need over the counter pain relievers like Advil or Tylenol.
We’ll also send a final report to your dentist so they understand what happened during your procedure.
We strongly suggest you contact your dentist’s office immediately, so you can get in for a follow-up appointment with them within 2 weeks of your root canal. They’ll put on a crown or some other type of restoration to make sure the tooth stays protected.
It is rare for patients to experience complications following endodontic treatment or microsurgery. In the unlikely instance you do, we’ll be available if you have any issues. You can call us any time, even after hours.
Learn more about what to expect after your treatment here.
How much does a root canal therapy Charlotte cost?
The cost of root canal therapy varies depending on a few factors, including which tooth is affected, how severely damaged it is, whether or not the tooth has been previously treated with a root canal, whether a post is in the tooth or a crown is on it, which teeth are affected, and the severity of the infection.
Overall, however, root canal therapy is much less expensive than extraction and artificial replacement, like an implant or a bridge. Plus, it comes with the added bonus of saving your natural tooth.