How can we help you?
We know that understanding what to expect can make a real difference in how you feel when you walk through our door. That's why we've put together answers to the questions we hear most often.
Don't see what you're looking for? Our team is always genuinely happy to answer our patients' questions.
Root Canal Treatment
Root canal treatment is intended to relieve the pain caused by inflammation or infection. With effective local anesthesia and modern endodontic techniques, most patients remain comfortable during the procedure and often feel significant relief afterward.
Some soreness or sensitivity is normal for a few days as the tooth and surrounding tissues heal, particularly if considerable pain or infection was present beforehand. Contact us if pain is severe, worsening, persistent, or accompanied by swelling.
A root canal may be needed when the pulp inside a tooth becomes permanently inflamed or infected. Common causes include deep cavities, cracks, trauma, or previous dental procedures.
Symptoms that may suggest the need for treatment include lingering sensitivity to hot or cold, spontaneous tooth pain, pain when biting, swelling, or a recurring pimple-like bump on the gum. However, symptoms alone do not always determine whether a root canal is needed.
The only way to confidently know is through a comprehensive evaluation. Our doctors perform detailed testing to confirm which tooth is the source of your symptoms before recommending treatment.
Oral antibiotics can help control infections that have spread beyond the tooth into surrounding tissues, but they usually cannot eliminate the source of infection inside the tooth.
When a tooth's pulp becomes dead or partially dead, the blood supply inside the tooth is compromised. Because oral antibiotics travel through the bloodstream, they may not reach the infected tissue inside the root canal system effectively.
Root canal treatment removes the infected or damaged pulp tissue, cleans the inside of the tooth, and seals the space to eliminate the source of infection. Antibiotics may sometimes be recommended as part of treatment, but they do not replace removing the source of infection within the tooth.
At ARCS, we offer two appointment types. Some patients are scheduled for a consultation appointment first, while others may have a consultation and treatment appointment together.
Consultation appointments are typically scheduled for 45 minutes. Consultation and same-day treatment appointments are usually scheduled for approximately 90 minutes.
Most teeth can be treated thoroughly in one treatment appointment, but some complex teeth may require additional time or another visit to complete treatment properly.
For most patients, a root canal does not significantly change how the tooth feels or functions. The main difference is that the tooth will no longer respond to hot or cold because the nerve tissue has been removed. After healing, the goal is for the tooth to remain comfortable and function normally for everyday chewing.