Root Canal Treatment – Chaska, MN

Soothing & Saving Your Hurting Tooth

If you experience severe dental pain, you may need root canal treatment. Despite a negative reputation, root canal therapy is truthfully not a traumatic or painful procedure. Dr. Swingdorf regularly perform this safe, conservative treatment to preserve internally damaged teeth and save them from extraction. Modern root canal treatment at our Chaska, MN dental office is a surprisingly comfortable procedure and one that can literally save your smile, so give us a call today.

Why Choose Chaska Dental Center for Root Canal Treatment?

  • Relaxing Nitrous Oxide Sedation Available
  • CEREC® Dental Crowns Placed in One Visit
  • Numbing Medicine Given via The Wand™

Why Would I Need Root Canal Treatment?

To know why your tooth hurts, you first need to understand how each tooth is constructed. Covering the outside of a tooth is enamel, which is the hardest material in the human body. Despite its strength, enamel can be penetrated by some of nature’s smallest living organisms—bacteria.

Underneath the enamel layer is dentin, a somewhat softer and much more sensitive component of a tooth. At the core, each tooth contains pulp, commonly called the nerve, with canals leading to the root. These canals play a crucial role in dental function – they transport nutrients to the root and carry away toxins.

When damaged by a tooth fracture, deep cavity, or other trauma, the canals and pulp can become vulnerable to infection. The same bacteria that penetrate the enamel to cause a cavity can eventually migrate to the nerve where a serious infection may develop. Left untreated, this infection may cause the pulp (nerve tissue) to die. This causes pain, pressure, and ultimately, bone, gum, and tooth loss.

Other than a toothache, recognizable signs that can indicate you have an infected tooth include:

  • Spontaneous aching
  • Swollen gum tissue around a tooth
  • A pimple-like sore on your gums near a painful tooth
  • A tooth that is sensitive to hot and cold temperatures
  • Severe pain when you chew or bite down

What Are My Options to Reduce Tooth Pain?

Root canal therapy has developed a reputation as something to fear or dread. However, thanks to state-of-the-art dental technology and our expert approach to emergency dentistry, we can keep you comfortable and calm throughout a root canal performed at Chaska Dental Center. To help reduce pain, we will always numb the treatment site with local anesthesia first. Additional sedation options include nitrous oxide (AKA “laughing gas”) to ease your mind and remove you from worry regarding the sights, smells, and sounds of what is going on around you. Nitrous oxide takes effect almost immediately and wears off soon after the procedure is over, and the nasal mask is removed. Combine anesthesia and sedation with our team’s gentle and friendly approach, and you will see how comfortable and painless getting a root canal can really be!

Root Canal Treatment Step-By-Step

Model tooth used to explain root canal treatment

With root canal therapy, Dr. Swingdorf can alleviate this kind of pain. In addition, root canal therapy can eliminate the infection in the early stage to preserve your tooth, prevent the need for implants or bridges, and help you avoid bone loss and the need for bone grafting.

Once you are comfortably settled in the dentist’s chair, the tooth and surrounding tissue will be anesthetized with a local anesthetic. Then, a small opening is made into the infected tooth so that your dentist can clean out the pulp chamber and attached canals. After this step is completed, the hollow space is disinfected, and a biocompatible sealer is placed. The tooth is then sealed and prepared for a crown. Dr. Swingdorf may prescribe an oral antibiotic to ensure that the infection is completed eradicated. After your appointment, you’ll be able to drive and resume your normal routine.

After a couple of weeks, you’ll return to Chaska Dental Center to have a permanent crown placed over your tooth. This will result in a beautifully restored tooth and renewed comfort and function.