Sleep dentistry for root canals
How sleep dentistry makes root canal treatment easy and painless
An infected tooth can cause extreme pain, sleepless nights, and even life-threatening abscesses. Root canal treatments are critical. Yet many people keep putting off their appointment. Why? Because they hate going to the dentist.
Dental fear is something everyone can relate too. Drills and needles always induce anxiety. That’s why sleep dentistry has become so popular for root canal treatments. Sleep dentistry lets you get your root canal treatment, without feeling a thing. The procedure is completely painless.
This article explores whether sleep dentistry is right for you. But first, let’s establish how a root canal treatment will help you.
Ready to fix that sore tooth? The Point Dental specialise in sleep dentistry for root canal treatments.
How does a root canal treatment help me?
Millions of teeth are saved every month with root canal treatments. By removing bacteria from an infected root canal, your dentist saves your tooth. The treatment removes any pain and makes your teeth healthy.
Saving your tooth gives you many reasons to smile, including:
- Preventing the infection from swelling, growing abscesses, causing swelling, or bone loss
- Eliminating the sensitivity to hot and cold so your tooth doesn’t hurt anymore
- Protecting your other teeth
What are the symptoms of an infected tooth?
When you have a deep cavity, a cracked tooth, or problems from a previous filling—you may have an infection that needs a root canal treatment. There are a few symptoms to look out for:
- Extreme toothache
- Sensitive teeth, especially to hot or cold sensations
- A cracked or chipped tooth
- Pimples on the gums
- Pus and a bad taste in the mouth
- Swollen or darkened gums
- Severe pain when chewing
- A loose tooth
So what exactly is a root canal treatment?
Every tooth has a white enamel outer layer. Beneath the enamel is a hard layer called dentin. And beneath the dentin is a soft tissue known as ‘pulp’. Pulp has connective tissue, blood vessels, and nerves — all which help your teeth grow during development.
If the pulp gets infected, the tooth needs a root canal treatment. Here’s how the procedure works:
- The dentist will make on opening on the crown of the tooth and then removes the infected pulp down to the tip of the tooth’s roots
- Then the dentist fills the tooth and seals the entire root canal with an adhesive
- The procedure is finished when the dentist places a new protective crown on the tooth
Fully developed teeth no longer need the pulp because the tissues surrounding the tooth can nourish it instead. Essentially, a root canal treatment removes the infected pulp and leaves your mouth healthy and pain-free.
Do root canals hurt?
The infection hurts but the treatment is entirely pain-free with sleep dentistry. While you can choose more minimal sedation options that will keep you comfortable throughout the entire procedure, sleep dentistry can make the entire experience completely painless and anxiety-free.
So what specifically is sleep dentistry?
It’s exactly as it sounds. You go to sleep while the dentist completes your procedure, then you wake up pain-free and smiling.
Also known in the dental industry as sleep sedation, it’s the process of using a general anaesthetic to place patients in an unconscious state while they’re treated. That means patients don’t have to feel anything in their mouth or watch the dentist as they work.
At The Point Dental, we have an onsite General Anaesthetic Facility where you can have a root canal treatment under general anaesthetic.
Is sleep dentistry suitable for me?
Sleep dentistry for root canals has become so popular in Melbourne because it’s safe and makes the procedure completely comfortable. However, sleep dentistry is especially important for anyone suffering from dental fear.
Dental fear is characterised by anxiety at the sight of needles and drills and often stems from previous traumatic experiences at the dentist. If you can’t stand sitting in the dentist chair, sleep dentistry is your best option.
What’s the sleep dentistry process for root canal treatments?
At our onsite General Anaesthetic Facility, The point Dental facilitates the entire process. While all you need to do is book your appointment and turn up, here is the process we follow to make sure you have an easy and comfortable experience.
1. A highly trained and experienced specialist anaesthetist administers a general anaesthetic.
- The patient, now unconscious, has oxygen continuously supplied to their lungs and their airway is completely protected.
- The anaesthetist uses a pulse oximeter to ensure the patient is receiving the optimal amount of oxygen. They also monitor the patients’ blood pressure.
- As as the patient is immobile, the dentist can easily and safely complete their procedure.
2. The dentist performs the root canal treatment.
- The dentist opens the crown.
- They remove the infected pulp.
- The tooth is filled, sealed, and a new protective crown is applied.
3. With the dental procedure completed, the specialist anaesthetist ceases the anaesthetic.
- The patient wakes up with no memory of the procedure.
- Their infection has been removed.
- Patients leave the clinic with a healthy mouth.
Working only with the best dentists and most qualified specialist anaesthetist, The Point Dental ensure your root canal is fixed quickly and painlessly.
An infected tooth must be fixed immediately. For an entirely painless procedure using sleep dentistry, contact The Point Dental for a root canal treatment.
