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Root Filling

Sometimes when the decay is extensive and occasionally under a large old filling, the nerve inside the tooth can become infected, inflamed and eventually die. This is usually painful and can lead to an abscess. At this stage, treatment is usually by extraction or root filling.

No-one likes to lose a tooth and our preferred option is root-filling. Although this can be a time-consuming procedure, with modern techniques treatment is usually completed in under an hour, leaving the tooth restored to full function.

	Click image to see treatment sequence

The infected space inside the tooth needs to be carefully and meticulously cleansed with a series of fine 'rasps' and flushed out with antiseptic to completely sterilise the space. This is then filled with gutta percha - a rubbery material that is plasticised and condensed into the root space. The final part is to restore the cavity with conventional composite resin to the original shape of the tooth.

The process, contrary to most people's belief is completely painless once the local anaesthetic has been administered.