Parkway Family Dental
A Great Dentist
Root Canal Therapy
Saving Smiles with Care and Comfort

Don’t let tooth pain hold you back! A root canal can save your tooth and help you enjoy life with a pain-free smile again.

Root Canal Therapy | Dentist
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Root Canal Therapy

A root canal is a restorative dental procedure that relieves pain and gives an infected or abscessed tooth a second chance. Modern root canals are comfortable and efficient and really no different from any other dental procedure. 

Root Canal Therapy 

Deep inside your tooth, underneath enamel and dentin, is an area called the pulp chamber. This part of the tooth contains tissue and nerves that keep the tooth healthy, but pulp can become infected if bacteria enter the area through a fracture, deep decay, or trauma. 

The most obvious sign of an infected tooth is a severe toothache, and the only solution to relieve the pain is to remove the infected pulp with root canal treatment. 

What Happens During Root Canal Treatment?

Your comfort is our priority, so the first step is to administer a local anesthetic to numb the tooth to ensure that you feel no pain during the procedure. Once the anesthetic takes hold, and we are sure the tooth is numb, our dentist creates an opening in the tooth to access the pulp area. We then carefully remove every trace of infected pulp, disinfect the area and fill the area to prevent reinfection.

We allow the tooth to heal for about two weeks, then have you return to our office so we can take an x-ray and ensure the infection is gone. The final step is to place a tooth filling or a dental crown on the tooth to strengthen and protect it so you can chew comfortably again. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Root canals are not surgical procedures, and the recovery time is about the same as a tooth filling. Most people even say the procedure affects them less than a tooth filling! When you have a root canal, your endodontist specialist will clean and seal the tooth to remove any infection.

Root canal treatment takes about 60 to 90 minutes, depending on the severity of your infection and the accessibility of your tooth’s canals. You should be able to drive or return to work right after your appointment.

Your endodontist will give you specific instructions for allowing your tooth to heal, but here are some general guidelines:

  • Once the numbness wears off, you may feel some soreness or tenderness for a few days. Some people have a sore jaw after keeping it open for an extended period. Use over-the-counter pain reliever (like ibuprofen) to manage pain. If your endodontist prescribes a stronger medication, be sure to have someone drive you home or wait to take it until you’re home.
  • You can eat after the numbness wears off, avoiding sticky or crunchy foods. If you have a temporary dental crown, it’s especially important to be careful about hard foods.
  • Continue to brush and floss your teeth normally, though you may want to use care around the tender areas.
  • Return to your dentist for your permanent restoration, if instructed to do so.

Do I Need a Root Canal?

If you have been experiencing any of these signs or symptoms, call our office immediately. You may have a tooth infection that requires immediate treatment. 

  • Severe pain in one or more teeth
  • Pain when touching the tooth
  • Pain and sensitivity to hot or cold temperatures
  • Darkening of one or more teeth
  • A raised bump on the gums
  • A bad taste in your mouth
  • Swelling and tenderness in the gums that may radiate to the cheek

Call our office to make an appointment to see if you need root canal therapy, so we can get you out of pain and save the tooth. 

Meet Our Doctors:

Monali Haldankar DMD
Owner and Dentist

Dr. Monali currently serves the Louisville Dental Society as Vice President. She earned her bachelor’s degrees in both biology and psychology from the University of Louisville in 2015. She then completed her Doctor of Dental ...

Dr. Rachel Bonsignore
Associate Dentist

Dr. Rachel Bonsignore is an associate dentist who joined Parkway Family Dental in the fall of 2024. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Capital University and graduated from the University of Louisville School ...

Root Canal Therapy Technology

Rotary Endodontics

Rotary endodontics uses flexible precision instruments to improve root canal treatment outcomes and the patient experience. By using this advanced technology, the need for root canal retreatment is reduced, and the entire process takes less time.

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