Root Canal Therapy
Do you do Root Canal Therapy in your office?
Yes! Dr. Ian Wilson has a lot of experience doing root canal therapy and enjoys doing them.
If you have any questions about your teeth, or the procedure, don't hesitate to call! (403) 343-8622
You can always book a consultation to make sure your tooth can be saved with root canal therapy.
Why do teeth require Root Canal Therapy? 
All teeth start out with blood vessels and nerves inside the tooth. The blood vessels and nerves are called the pulp. The pulp of the tooth resides in a space called the pulp chamber and exits the tooth through the canals in the roots of the tooth [See image to the right]. When a tooth gets infected or traumatized, the pulp can get very sore or become infected. When the tooth is very sore or infected, a filling or crown wont fix the issue, and antibiotics will only temporarily act to reduce the pain. The tooth pain or tooth infection will only go away if you pull the tooth out, or do a root canal therapy.
Pulling the tooth resolves tooth pain and tooth infection 100% of the time. But then the tooth is gone.
Root Canal Therapy resolves tooth pain or infection 95% of the time. And you keep the tooth!
Those statistics mean in rare circumstances the root canal treated tooth needs to either be extracted, or you can try a second root canal treatment. But root canal therapy is successful the vast majority of the time. Root Canal Therapy is also much cheaper and easier to maintain than an implant or a bridge.
What is Root Canal Therapy?
When we need to remove the infected pulp or dead pulp of the tooth, we access the infected or dead pulp similar to how we do a filling. Then we use small instruments and chemicals to physically and chemical clean the inside of the tooth.
Once the inside of the tooth is chemo-mechanically prepared we seal the canals at the tips of the roots. Then the tooth itself remains exactly as it was - it just cant feel anything hot or cold, and no longer acts as a reservoir for infection or pain.
Once the tooth's canals and pulp chamber are sealed up, it requires a restoration of either a normal filling, or a crown. That way the tooth doesn't break or turn a dark colour.
How expensive is root canal therapy?
It depends on the tooth and complexity of the tooth. Some teeth only have one canal, and some teeth have four or more canals. Some teeth are calcified and some teeth are not. Dr. Wilson follows the Alberta Fee guide, and our front desk staff can always check with your insurance to give you a quote.
Contact Gasoline Alley Dental for more information at (403) 343-8622.
