Root Canal Treatment

If your dentist has recommended root canal treatment, it means the soft tissue inside your tooth, called the pulp, is inflamed or infected and needs attention. Treatment removes the damaged tissue, cleans and seals the canal system, and allows us to preserve your natural tooth whenever possible. It’s completely normal to feel anxious when you hear those words, especially if you’re already dealing with significant tooth pain.

At Advanced Root Canal Specialists, this is exactly the care we’ve spent our careers as endodontists preparing for. You’re in specialist hands, and we’ll make your comfort a priority from the moment you contact us.

If you’re in pain, we offer same-day emergency appointments so you don’t have to wait for relief. Call us at (410) 772-9600, and we’ll get you on our schedule as soon as possible.

Do You Need Root Canal Treatment?

The pulp can become inflamed or infected because of deep decay, a crack or chip, trauma, or other damage to the tooth. Symptoms that may indicate a problem include lingering sensitivity to hot or cold, pain when biting or chewing, spontaneous or recurring tooth pain, swelling, or tenderness near the tooth.

However, not every tooth that needs treatment causes obvious symptoms. Infection or damage may sometimes be discovered before significant pain develops, which is one reason a thorough evaluation is so important.

The Right Treatment Begins With the Right Diagnosis

Before recommending treatment, our endodontists listen carefully to your symptoms, examine the tooth, perform appropriate diagnostic testing, and review your imaging. Our goal is to determine not only what is causing your discomfort, but also whether root canal treatment is the right solution.

Pain felt in or around a tooth does not always begin inside that tooth. Jaw joints, facial muscles, nerves, and other conditions can sometimes produce similar symptoms. If the findings are unclear, we may recommend additional evaluation or monitoring rather than treating the tooth prematurely.

What to Expect with Root Canal Treatment

Root canal treatment has an outdated reputation for being painful. In reality, modern anesthesia and endodontic techniques are intended to relieve the pain caused by inflammation or infection. Many patients tell us the experience was much easier than they expected.

Our endodontists have performed thousands of root canals and have refined the process to support comfort, precision, and efficiency. We’ll explain what we find and answer your questions, but here is the general process you can expect:

1. Evaluation — We review your symptoms, examine the tooth, perform diagnostic testing, and take x-rays as needed to identify the source and extent of the problem. We then explain our findings and recommendations.
2. Local Anesthetic — We carefully numb the treatment area before we begin. For many patients, this alone brings meaningful relief and makes the procedure far more comfortable than they anticipated.
3. Isolate the Tooth — We place a rubber dam around the tooth to keep the treatment area clean, dry, and protected.
4. Access the Tooth — We create a small opening in the tooth and remove decay or compromised tooth structure when present so we can reach the pulp and root canal system.
5. Remove the Pulp — We remove the inflamed or infected pulp tissue, then carefully clean and shape the canal spaces inside the roots.
6. Disinfect and Fill the Canals — We disinfect the prepared canal system and seal it with a biocompatible material called gutta-percha. In some cases, we place medication inside the tooth and complete treatment at a follow-up visit.
7. Seal and Restore the Tooth — We seal the access opening and typically protect the tooth with a temporary restoration. We then communicate with your general dentist and coordinate the final filling or crown needed to protect and restore the tooth.