Endodontics – treating tooth pain and root canal treatment
Endodontics, commonly referred to as root canal treatment, is the branch of dentistry that looks after the health of the inside of the teeth, particularly the soft tissue or ‘pulp’ that keeps teeth healthy and strong.
By offering you a root canal, we can remove infected soft tissue, save teeth that have been damaged by decay, disease and injury, and stop the chance of further deterioration.
Our Root Canal Dentist, Dr Fabrizio Cipolla, is committed to providing the highest level of dental care and enjoys treating patients in a kind, gentle and reassuring way. He has a special interest in the treatment of complex cases and will ensure you are comfortable throughout your procedure with us.
Fabrizio has been practising dentistry since 1996. He has spent many years in private practices across the UK and Italy, highly skilled in endodontics. Fabrizio holds a master’s in Clinical Endodontics from the University of Bologna, and has also completed certificates in Implantology and Restorative Dental Practice at Eastman Dental Institute. He has been a provider of Invisalign aligners since 2008.
We accept referrals from individuals, along with dental professionals.
This means that we will welcome you for root canal treatment, even if you are not one of our patients.
Symptoms of a tooth infection can include persistent pain, pain when biting, lingering pain when consuming hot or cold foods and drinks, swelling, and a slight darkening of the tooth itself. If you’ve been suffering from toothache, think you might have a tooth infection or have been told that you need a tooth removed, then you could need root canal treatment.
Tooth infections usually occur when the soft tissue inside your teeth dies. This can happen for a range of reasons, from decay, tooth trauma, severe gum disease or a crack forming in your tooth.
Leaving an infected tooth untreated, is likely to cause an increase in both pain and sensitivity, and the longer you wait, the harder it will become to save the tooth.
Tooth extraction can be offered as an alternative to root canal treatment. However, this will leave you with a gap, which can cause pressure on remaining teeth and look unsightly. You could replace the extracted tooth with an implant, bridge or denture. However, this can cause damage to other healthy teeth. Whenever possible, we will always try to save a natural tooth via root canal treatment, as it will function better than an artificial tooth.
Root canals are completed under local anaesthetic and carried out by our highly skilled root canal dentist. It is not painful, and feels similar to having a filling.
Depending on the tooth, it can one or two hour-long appointments to complete a root canal, and the tooth will be crowned to prevent further infection.
In most cases, your tooth will feel tender for around 48 hours after your treatment. This can usually be managed with paracetamol or ibuprofen and will subside. If your tooth still feels very painful after three days, please contact us.
In most cases, it is possible to prevent further infections by keeping your teeth clean, limiting the amount of sugary food you consume and avoiding smoking.
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