When a root canal treatment becomes necessary
A root canal treatment becomes necessary when the tooth pulp is inflamed or dead. The most common cause is advanced caries that has reached the pulp. Other causes are trauma, repeated deep restorations or bacterial infection via the root tip.
Symptoms range from persistent throbbing pain to pressure sensitivity when biting to swelling of the gums. In some cases the pulp has already died and the tooth no longer hurts. These silent courses are not harmless: bacteria migrate via the root tip into the bone and can cause granulomas or abscesses there.
A full description of the procedure is on our service overview for root canal treatment. This page describes the treatment in Winterthur.
Treatment in Winterthur
After local anesthesia we apply rubber dam. This rubber barrier isolates the tooth from saliva and prevents bacteria from entering the root canal during treatment. Without rubber dam a successful root canal treatment is not medically reliable.
We then prepare the root canal mechanically with rotating nickel-titanium instruments. These instruments are more flexible than manual files and reliably reach even curved canal anatomies. Concurrently we irrigate with sodium hypochlorite and EDTA to remove bacteria and organic tissue completely.
After preparation we seal the canal bacteria-tight with thermoplastic gutta-percha. The tooth is then definitively restored, depending on remaining substance with a composite build-up filling, a post build-up or a crown.
Emergencies on weekends
Acute throbbing pain, swelling or pressure sensitivity after pulp inflammation are classic emergency situations. Resident Winterthur is open Sat 09-15 and Sun 09-12. With acute symptoms call us directly, we try to fit you in the same day or forward you to our hotline. When the practice is closed, you find an overview of all emergency times on our emergency dentist page.
When the first root canal fails
In about five to ten percent of cases a renewed inflammation develops years after a root canal treatment. The most common cause is an anatomically complex canal not fully captured during the first treatment, or subsequent ingress of bacteria through a leaky restoration.
In these cases a revision treatment is possible. For complex revisions we work with an endodontologist from the Resident network. If a revision is not promising, apicoectomy remains as a surgical alternative, or extraction followed by implant restoration.
After the treatment
A root-treated tooth without stable definitive restoration fractures within a few months to years. The crown or build-up is medically mandatory, not optional. We discuss the options before treatment begins and include them in the cost estimate. We then recommend a dental hygiene check every six to twelve months.
Getting to the Winterthur practice
Resident Winterthur, Bahnhofplatz 5b, 8400 Winterthur. Directly at the main station, three minutes’ walk from the station exit. Tram, bus and train stops in front of the building. Station parking garage with direct staircase access to the practice building.
More on root canal cost and decision-making
The cost of a root canal treatment depends mainly on the number of root canals and the position of the tooth. Range figures and factors in the article What does a root canal cost in Switzerland. For the decision whether a root canal makes sense or an implant would be the better solution, the in-depth decision guide Root canal or implant.