Root Canal Therapy in Newark, OH

Don’t Live With Tooth Pain Any Longer

Root canal therapy saves teeth that have become infected or damaged, preserving your natural teeth and restoring oral health. While many patients feel anxious about root canal treatment due to outdated perceptions, modern endodontic therapy is comfortable, effective, and crucial for maintaining your smile.

In this comprehensive guide, our Newark, OH, dentist, Dr. Brian Stickel, explains everything you need to know about root canal treatment to help you prepare and feel confident about your procedure. Contact our Newark dental office today at (740) 344-4000 to schedule an appointment.

What Is Root Canal Therapy?

Root canal therapy is a specialized dental procedure that addresses infection within the root canal system. During treatment, your dentist removes the infected pulp (the soft tissue inside the tooth), carefully cleans and shapes the root canals, and then fills and seals them to prevent bacteria from reinfecting the tooth. This procedure saves your natural tooth and prevents further damage or infection.

Each tooth contains a soft inner layer known as dental pulp. This pulp consists of nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissue that maintain tooth health and vitality. When the pulp becomes infected or damaged, it can lead to severe pain, sensitivity, and potential tooth loss if left untreated.

Understanding Tooth Anatomy

To better understand root canal therapy, it helps to know the three main parts of a tooth:

Crown: The visible part of the tooth above the gum line, protected by enamel—the hardest substance in the human body.
Dentin: The yellowish layer beneath the enamel that forms most of the tooth structure, providing support and protection.
Pulp: The innermost part containing nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissues—vital for tooth development but not essential for a mature tooth’s function.

When Is Root Canal Therapy Necessary?

Root canal therapy may be recommended in several situations:

Deep Dental Decay: When untreated cavities spread to the tooth’s pulp chamber, causing infection.
Dental Trauma: When fractures or chips allow bacteria to enter the pulp and cause infection.
Advanced Gum Disease: When pockets form around the tooth, enabling bacteria to access and infect the pulp.
Repeated Dental Work: When a tooth has undergone multiple procedures, increasing infection risk.
Cracked or Broken Teeth: When damage exposes the pulp to bacteria.

Early intervention with root canal therapy is often the best way to treat these issues and prevent more extensive damage requiring tooth extraction. Contact our top-rated Newark endodontic specialist today.

Signs of Dental Infection

If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, you may have a dental infection requiring root canal therapy:

Severe, persistent toothache
Sharp pain when chewing or biting down
Prolonged sensitivity to hot and cold temperatures
Swelling and tenderness in the gums around the affected tooth
Darkening or discoloration of the tooth
Persistent bad breath or bad taste
Visible pimple-like bump on the gums near the tooth

If you notice any of these symptoms, it’s a sign you need root canal treatment. Schedule an appointment with Dr. Stickel as soon as possible for a proper diagnosis and a personalized treatment plan.

Benefits of Modern Root Canal Treatment

There are numerous benefits of today’s root canal treatments:

Tooth Preservation: This saves your natural tooth, avoiding extraction and the need for dental implants or dental bridges.
Pain Relief: Eliminates the intense discomfort caused by pulp infection or damage.
Infection Prevention: Removes bacteria and prevents spread to adjacent teeth and surrounding tissues.
Functional Restoration: Returns the affected tooth to full function for normal chewing and biting.
Aesthetic Maintenance: Preserves your natural smile’s appearance with final restoration options.
Cost-Effective: Generally less expensive than tooth extraction followed by replacement procedures.

Advanced Endodontic Treatments

Modern dentistry offers several types of endodontic treatment, tailored to your specific dental needs:

Modern Root Canal Therapy: Removes infected pulp tissue, cleans the root canal system, and fills the canals with biocompatible material. The treated tooth is then restored with a filling or crown.
Apicoectomy: When conventional root canal therapy isn’t sufficient, this microsurgical procedure removes the root tip and infected tissue and seals the root end to prevent further infection.
Pulp Capping: For minor damage without significant infection, this conservative approach places specialized material over the exposed pulp to promote healing and prevent further damage.
Regenerative Endodontics: This innovative treatment helps damaged pulp in young teeth heal and regenerate, using bioactive materials to stimulate the growth of new pulp tissue and blood vessels.
Root Canal Retreatment: For teeth that develop new infections after previous root canal therapy, this procedure removes the old filling material, addresses the infection, and restores the tooth.

Please note that our Newark dental office may not provide all these specialized endodontic treatments, or we may recommend an alternative to root canal therapy. Call Newark Dental Associates at (740) 344-4000 to learn which services we offer.

The Root Canal Treatment Process at Newark Dental Associates

Here’s what to expect during the root canal treatment at our Newark dental practice:

Comprehensive Diagnosis: Advanced digital X-rays examine the shape of your root canals and check for signs of infection in the surrounding bone.
Comfort-Focused Preparation: Local anesthetic ensures you won’t feel pain during the procedure. For anxious patients, we offer dental sedation options—just ask about our comfort-enhancing approaches.
Pulpectomy: A small access opening is created in the tooth. Using specialized instruments, we remove the infected pulp, bacteria, decayed nerve tissue, and related debris from the tooth and its root canal system.
Thorough Canal Cleaning: After pulp removal, your Newarl dentist cleans, enlarges, and precisely shapes the canals using microsurgical instruments. Antimicrobial solutions eliminate remaining bacteria and flush away debris.
Biocompatible Canal Filling: The cleaned canals are sealed with gutta-percha, a rubber-like material, combined with adhesive cement to ensure complete sealing and prevent reinfection.
Protective Temporary Filling: A temporary filling material protects the tooth until it’s ready for permanent restoration.
Final Restoration: After healing, your tooth receives a permanent restoration—typically a custom dental crown or dental filling—to replace lost tooth structure, provide a complete seal, and restore full function and appearance.

Despite outdated perceptions, most patients report that modern root canal treatment feels similar to receiving a routine dental filling.

Caring for Your Root Canal-Treated Tooth

After the procedure, you may experience mild sensitivity for a few days, which can be easily managed with over-the-counter painkillers. To care for your recently treated tooth, please follow these guidelines:

Continue practicing good oral hygiene by brushing your teeth twice daily.
Floss regularly to maintain gum health.
Schedule routine dental checkups to monitor your oral health.
Avoid chewing hard foods with the treated tooth until your permanent restoration is placed.

Root canal therapy has a success rate of approximately 95 percent. With proper care, teeth that have undergone root canal treatment can last a lifetime.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is root canal treatment painful?

Modern root canal therapy is painless, thanks to advanced anesthetics and techniques. Most patients report being comfortable during treatment, and the procedure relieves the pain caused by infection.

Is root canal therapy safe?

Absolutely! Root canal therapy is a safe, evidence-based treatment. The procedure removes infected or damaged pulp tissue from the tooth’s root canal system and replaces it with biocompatible material to prevent further infection.

Can root canal therapy be performed on any tooth?

Root canal therapy can be performed on most teeth, though there are exceptions. Teeth with severe decay, extensive damage, or certain types of fractures may not be suitable candidates. In some cases, extraction may be recommended instead.

How long does a root canal treatment take?

Most root canal procedures can be completed in one or two appointments lasting 60-90 minutes each. Treatment duration varies depending on the tooth’s complexity (molars have more root canals than front teeth) and the extent of infection. After treatment, your dentist will schedule a follow-up appointment to place the final restoration.

Don’t Put Off the Treatment You Need

Modern root canal therapy offers a comfortable, effective solution for saving infected or damaged teeth. With accurate information and our qualified dental team, you can make informed decisions about your oral health and receive the care you need to maintain a healthy, pain-free smile.

Call our Newark dental office at (740) 344-4000 to schedule a consultation today. Our Newark endodontic specialists proudly serve patients throughout Newark, Heath, Granville, Johnstown, and Pataskala, OH.