Restore Infected Teeth (Root Canal Treatment)

Having a toothache can be a dreadful thing. It’s constantly there, you can’t sleep, and you can’t eat. All you want is for the pain to go away. We can help you. With root canal treatment in our Sutton dental clinic, you can get back to your normal life quickly.

How long does it take?

The studies show that it can take up to 40 minutes to kill the majority of the bacteria by the disinfectant. That’s why we normally book 1-2 hours for a root canal for an infected tooth, depending on which tooth we are treating. Front teeth generally only have one canal and a 75-minute appointment is generally sufficient to complete the root canal treatment steps. Back teeth can have four canals, so we typically book two hours for these appointments. In some cases, when there is a heavily infected tooth, we can leave medicine within the tooth for a week and complete the treatment over two sessions.

Will it work?

Generally, success rates are over 90 percent, which is considered high. As with any procedure, we cannot guarantee a 100% success rate. The root canal treatment is a complex procedure and the extent of decay, tooth anatomy, access to the site and cracks can all cause failure. If you have a crack in the tooth, it’s impossible to seal and this can lead to failure.

Will it hurt?

We get asked this question all the time, as some patients report having had bad experiences at their previous dentist. In our experience, once we’re halfway through the procedure, people are usually so relaxed that they fall asleep. It’s a long procedure and not much happens once we open the tooth up – we’re just waiting for the disinfectant to clear away the bacteria. You are completely numbed up, so you should feel very comfortable.