About Root Canals

A root canal treatment is used to save your natural teeth when decay has destroyed the pulp tissue inside the tooth. Pulp tissue contains blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissue that help give your teeth their color and strength. 

If this tissue gets damaged or becomes inflamed, the tooth may hurt or become infected until it eventually falls out. 

A root canal treatment prevents this painful process by removing the infected pulp, cleaning out the dentin (the hard layer under your tooth’s enamel), and filling the space with sterilized material to preserve the tooth structure.

If you’re experiencing a toothache, swollen gums, or heightened sensitivity to hot and cold foods, you may need a root canal treatment.

Dr. Kunal Narang of Sunrise Dental in Redmond has more than a decade’s worth of experience in performing root canal procedures. He is an internationally-trained and highly-specialized endodontist whose goal is to minimize your pain and save your tooth whenever possible.

If you’re in the greater Seattle area, please call our office or set up an appointment with Dr. Narang online.

What Is an Endodontist?

Endodontists are a subset of dentists who specialize in diagnosing and treating issues related to teeth. In addition to general dental treatment like fillings or dentures, they focus on root canals. Specifically, they treat problems with tooth pulp (the inner core of your tooth), including abscesses and other infections.

Our endodontist creates an individualized treatment plan for each patient depending on their needs. 

To ensure your comfort and safety, we utilize modern technology while putting our patients first at all times. 

We provide gentle care to make sure you are comfortable throughout the entire process. In addition, we thoroughly explain every step of what is involved. If surgery is required to save your teeth:

  • An anesthetic is applied around the affected area. 
  • A dental dam is used to isolate your teeth to keep them free from saliva. 
  • An opening is created at the top of the affected tooth. The endodontist removes the nerve and soft pulp present, cleans the canal, and fills the interior with gutta-percha (a biocompatible material).

Once all traces of infection have been removed, an endodontist will seal off your tooth with a crown, filling in any gaps and covering up any unsightly damage.

Dr. Kunal Narang offers emergency dentistry services for patients who find themselves in situations where they don’t have time to wait.

Sunrise Dental of Redmond strives to provide each patient with the best quality care available to help them meet their oral health goals and improve their overall quality of life. We are proud to offer all aspects of general dentistry, including root canal treatments in Renton, WA. You can reach us at (425) 307-1317 or request an appointment online by filling out the information in the Appointment Widget.

What is a Root Canal?

The nerve and pulp inside a tooth can become infected, causing swelling in the surrounding tissue and pain in the tooth. Dr. Narang removes the damaged nerve and infected material from the root canal — the space inside the tooth — and seals it shut. Your tooth can function normally without the nerve. The only side effect is that you’ll lose sensitivity to hot and cold within that single tooth.

Why Get a Root Canal Treatment?

Having a healthy and beautiful smile is important to most people. However, sometimes our oral health isn’t so great, and we need to get treatment for that. 

An endodontic treatment saves a gravely decayed or cracked tooth when the soft inner tooth root canal (pulp) becomes infected or inflamed. If the affected area isn’t treated properly, it results in tooth abscess (infection) and pain. 

Endodontic treatment is normally completed within one or two visits; however, this is based on the required treatment plan and the severity of the infection. After restoration, the tooth can last a lifetime with proper oral hygiene.

How Does a Tooth Get Infected?

There are several causes of inflammation within a tooth nerve — decay, trauma, a crack or chip in the tooth — and this can lead to bacteria growth that further damages the teeth and gums.  Sometimes a pus-filled abscess develops at the root of the tooth, causing pain and swelling that may spread from the gums into the face, neck, or head. An abscess can also cause bone loss in the jaw.

Why is a Root Canal Treatment Necessary?

It’s important to deal with the infected tooth quickly. If left untreated, the pain will worsen, the infection will spread, and you may sustain permanent damage to your jaw, affecting your overall bite. The tooth will almost certainly need to be extracted and you may need expensive bridge work to fill the gap. In order to minimize the damage — and bring relief from the pain — schedule an appointment with Dr. Narang as soon as you can.

What Are Some Common Symptoms of a Root Canal?

To determine whether or not you need a root canal, your dentist or endodontist will examine your teeth carefully for signs of decay, abscesses, cracks, and chips. 

They may also X-ray or CAT scan your mouth to find out where bacteria are leaking into surrounding tissue (which could indicate infection). Other symptoms you may experience include:

  • Sensitivity to hot/cold temperatures.
  • Shooting tooth pains when chewing.
  • Difficulties eating/drinking certain foods.
  • Dental abscess (pus drainage in the mouth).
  • Tenderness or swelling in the lymph nodes beneath the jaw.
What Does a Root Canal Procedure Involve?

Root canal treatment has a reputation for being painful, but undergoing the procedure is far less distressing than leaving the tooth to rot. Dr. Narang is one of a small percentage of dentists qualified as an endodontist, which means he is a specialist in the interior of the tooth, specifically the nerves, blood vessels, and pulp matter that need to be removed during a root canal treatment. He is committed to minimizing your discomfort and saving your damaged tooth.

After X-raying the infected area, Dr. Narang administers a local anesthetic and drills a tiny hole into your tooth. He cleans out the decayed tissue in the tooth cavity and the roots. He may put medication inside the tooth or give you antibiotics to get rid of any underlying infection.

Once the root canal is clean, he fills it with dental filler and then caps your tooth with a crown for protection and to restore the look of your smile. A tooth’s structure becomes weakened after its pulp has been removed and becomes more susceptible to damage. A crown strengthens the tooth and covers any discoloration to give you a healthy look.

Schedule Your Appointment Now

Schedule your appointment with the Best Dentist in Redmond, WA – 
Dr. Kunal Narang
and the team at Sunrise Dental of Redmond today.