Quality Dental Services from a Dedicated Team in Streatham Croydon.

Name: Minty Pearls Dental Clinic
Address: 1490-1492 London Road, Streatham, Croydon, SW16 4BT, GB
Telephone: 020 8764 7888

Minty Pearls Dental Clinic covers all aspects of dentistry to ensure first-class dental health. Based in Streatham Croydon, we excel in providing dental services, such as root canal treatment, so you can enjoy clean and healthy teeth all year round.

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Root Canal Treatment

Sometimes the nerve or blood supply to the tooth may have a problem, and this will affect the general health of the tooth. A root canal treatment is a procedure that rectifies this problem and returns the tooth to its original condition. This procedure is a little more complex than a standard extraction, but our well-experienced dentists ensure they take the time to perfect every patient’s treatment.

If needed, it is important to have a root canal treatment as soon as possible as there is a risk that the damage or infection may spread to other teeth. As the procedure is carried out under a local anaesthesia, it is painless and will feel as though a filling is being done. Sometimes there won’t be any symptoms, however signs you may need a root canal include:

Severe Toothache Pain upon Chewing or Application of Pressure
Prolonged Sensitivity/Pain to Heat or Cold Temperatures (After the Hot or Cold Has Been Removed)
Discolouration (a Darkening) of the Tooth
Swelling and Tenderness in the Nearby Gums
A Persistent or Recurring Pimple on the Gums

What You Need to Know

The Treatment Process

A root canal requires 1 or more office visits and can be performed by a dentist or endodontist. An endodontist is a dentist who specialises in the causes, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and injuries of the human dental pulp or the nerve of the tooth.

The type of dentist to use depends, to some degree, on the difficulty of the root canal procedure needed in your particular tooth and the general dentist’s comfort level in working on your tooth. Your dentist will discuss who may be best suited to perform the work in your particular case.

Step 1

The first step in the procedure is to take an X-ray to see the shape of the root canals and determine if there are any signs of infection in a surrounding bone. Your dentist or endodontist will then use local anaesthesia to numb the area near the tooth. Anaesthesia may not be necessary, since the nerve is dead, but most dentists still anaesthetise the area to make the patient more relaxed and at ease.

Step 2

Next, to keep the area dry and free of saliva during treatment, your dentist places a rubber dam (a sheet of rubber) around the tooth.

Step 3

An access hole is then be drilled into the tooth. The pulp along with bacteria, the decayed nerve tissue and related debris is removed from the tooth. The cleaning out process is accomplished using root canal files. A series of these files of increasing diameter are each subsequently placed into the access hole and worked down the full length of the tooth to scrape and scrub the sides of the root canals. Water or sodium hypochlorite is used periodically to flush away the debris.

Step 4

Once the tooth is thoroughly cleaned, it is sealed. Some dentists like to wait a week before sealing the tooth. For instance, if there is an infection, your dentist may apply medication inside the tooth to clear it up. Others may choose to seal the tooth the same day it is cleaned out. If the root canal is not completed on the same day, a temporary filling is placed in the exterior hole in the tooth to keep out contaminants like saliva and food between appointments.

Step 5

At the next appointment, a sealer paste and a rubber compound called gutta-percha is placed into the tooth’s root canal to fill the interior. To fill the exterior access hole created at the beginning of treatment, a filling is then placed inside.

Step 6

The final step may involve further restoration of the tooth. Because a tooth that needs a root canal is often one that has a large filling, extensive decay, or another weakness, a crown, crown post, or other restoration solution often needs to be considered. This is to protect your tooth and prevent it from breaking while ensuring it is fully functional. Your dentist will discuss the need for any additional dental work with you.

Aftercare

Since some of the reasons why the nerve of a tooth and its pulp become inflamed and infected are due to deep decay, repeated dental procedures on a tooth and/or large fillings, following good oral hygiene practices (brushing twice a day, flossing at least once a day, and scheduling regular dental visits) may reduce the need for a root canal procedure. Trauma resulting from a sports-related injury can be reduced by wearing a mouth guard.

We also provide high-grade cosmetic dentistry such as teeth-whitening treatments when you desire beautiful, sparkling teeth.

Extractions and Oral Surgery

Often a tooth may not have enough room in your mouth or is growing at an angle and may result in you feeling pain or discomfort. Extraction is a simple process of removing this tooth. It is possible that the issue can be resolved without the need of extraction but this will require a trip to the dentist.

What You Need to Know

Having a tooth removed is a simple procedure and our dentists at Minty Pearls can make it a relatively painless ordeal. Often within minutes you can be out of the clinic and satisfied that you have received the best available treatment.

Why Is It Important to Take Care of the Tooth as Early as Possible?

To reduce the risk of infections it is important to visit the dentist as soon as you feel discomfort so that we can ensure all is well and if need be take preventative action.