How Long do Root Canals Last?

Root canal treatments prevent tooth extraction if you have a tooth inflamed or infected. Instead, the therapy helps preserve the natural tooth for many years or even decades after removing the dental pulp, cleaning, shaping, and disinfecting the root canals.

Removal of the dental pulp indicates the tooth doesn’t contain any living tissue. However, the tooth is held by periodontal ligaments to ensure it continues functioning like your remaining teeth despite the missing pulp. While most root canals last for a lifetime, some circumstances can arise when your tooth may need re-treatment.

This post answers your queries about how long root canals last besides explaining some of the factors that influence their longevity.

Success Rate of Root Canals

The success rate of endodontics in Richmond Hill is incredibly high. Scientific research backs patient’s experience at the practice to confirm the long-term effectiveness of root canal treatments. Research about root canals indicates a success rate of 98 percent in one year, 92 percent over five years, and 86 percent lasting over a decade. In addition, molars receiving root canal therapy from Endodontists have a survival rate of over a decade which is considerably higher than similar therapy provided by general dentists. The figures should help patients needing root canals understand how long these treatments last. However, it is also necessary to know how specific circumstances can affect the longevity of the treatment.

How Painful Is Root Canal Treatment?

Contrary to perceptions, root canal treatment doesn’t cause pain but, in reality, relieve the pain you experience from the infected or inflamed dental pulp because of injuries or untreated cavities. Before performing root canals near you, the specialist gives you adequate anesthesia in the mouth and sedation if required to ensure you experience no pain during the procedure.

Root canals are generally completed in one visit or two if you need the therapy on a molar with multiple canals. You receive painkillers to manage discomfort between appointments and after the treatment to ensure the pain you experience is minimal and doesn’t affect your quality of life. Therefore the myth about pain during root canal treatments is merely a myth best forgotten by understanding the reality of this therapy.

How Many Times Can You do a Root Canal on the Same Tooth?

Whether you need root canal re-treatment on a specific tooth or how many times you need it depends on various factors. Herein we provide steps you can take to increase your chances of a good outcome from root canal therapy. Consider the following points for reference:

• Timing: Receiving root canal treatments from the dentist near you promptly without postponing the therapy is essential for optimal outcomes. Complications are familiar when the condition of your tooth worsens before treatment, primarily when the infection in your tooth spreads into your jawbone.
• Quality of Restoration: You will need a permanent dental filling or a crown to restore the tooth after root canal treatment. The quality of the restoration and its timing are crucial because the sooner you meet your dentist to have the tooth fixed, the better. If you delay restoring the tooth after your root canal treatment, you put your tooth at a higher risk of complications.
• Tooth’s Location: Endodontic treatment on an anterior tooth isn’t complicated because it has only one root canal. In addition, as anterior teeth help bite and cut instead of grinding, they are not subjected to the high forces of the molars. Unfortunately, the molars having multiple canals are complicated to treat because they sustain additional forces when eating foods. The forces make the molars vulnerable to issues caused by restoration sustaining damage by fracture.
• Age: Your teeth become brittle and susceptible to damage as you age. Age also affects the durability of root canals. When getting the tooth restored, dental crowns protect teeth from stress and are often recommended by dentists over permanent feelings in such circumstances.

Besides the above undergoing root canal therapy doesn’t absolve you from maintaining appropriate dental hygiene or visiting dentists at six monthly intervals to detect whether you have infections in your tooth that might aggravate to require root canal treatments. While you can guard against re-treatment on a treated tooth, you must also prevent the need for this therapy by looking after your teeth with the recommended practices and restoring any infections or damage to your teeth in a timely fashion.

Root canal treatments provided by Endodontists from Caring Dentistry of Queens deliver excellent outcomes and last many years after restoring the tooth. If you need root canals for a damaged or infected tooth, kindly contact this practice to receive the therapy and preserve your tooth without wasting time.