St. Petersburg dentist, Dentist in St. Petersburg, FL

Root Canal (Endodontics)

Root Canal, or endodontics, is the process of removing the nerve tissue from the roots of a tooth. A root canal is often necessary to save an infected tooth. If an infected tooth is left alone for a long period of time, an abscess can form.

In primary teeth the procedure is called a pulpotomy. The part of the infected nerve tissue is removed from the crown portion of the tooth down to where the nerve enters the root of the tooth.

Once the infected nerve is removed a medicated filling is placed in the area where the nerve enters the root of the tooth and a restoration placed. In almost all cases where a pulpotomy has been performed a stainless steel crown is needed to restore the tooth.