Root canal treatment is an extremely common and predictable procedure. When performed by a highly qualified and experienced dentist, success rates for this procedure are extremely high.

Root canal treatment is used to remove inflamed or infected pulp from a tooth, restoring a tooth’s function and saving the tooth. But, as with any medical or dental procedure, you should always consider the potential complications, side effects and root canal risks. Our highly trained staff have been carrying out procedures like this for years and are able to greatly reduce many potential risks with careful planning.

Root canal risks – Colour changes

Dental pulp is the living part inside each of your teeth. Tooth pulp contains connective tissue, blood vessels and nerves, and without it, some patients can experience some form of discolouration in the treated tooth.

This is because, once the pulp is removed, the tooth essentially dies. In some cases, the dead roots of the tooth begin to start showing through the dentin. This only occurs in a very small percentage of cases though. However, if this does happen, it can easily be aesthetically treated with crowns or veneers to improve their appearance.

Root canal risks – Sinus congestion

Everything within your body is connected to one another and your teeth are no different. A fairly common risk with root canal treatment is that it can cause problems with your sinuses.

This is because, in some circumstances, liquid in your jaw can leak slightly through the membranes in your nose. It may not sound pleasant but because your root canal and sinus cavity are practically neighbours, it could potentially happen.

Whilst this is in no way life threatening, inflammation in the sinus cavities can be irritating with headaches and congestion being the main symptoms. In most cases, this problem goes away after a few weeks.

Root canal risks – Reinfection

This is the biggest worry many root canal patients have before their treatment. Of course, if you are going through a dental procedure to remove the infection, you want to know it was worthwhile. Whilst reinfection is a root canal risk, your dentist will go through a number of steps to stop this from happening.

Root canal risks – Tooth cracking

Root canal treated teeth will never be as strong as they were before the bacterial infection and treatment. As the tooth essentially dies during the procedure, with all the living parts taken out, teeth can potentially become quite brittle. This is why crowns are usually recommended post root canal to strengthen the outer area of the tooth again.

Root canal risks – Other complications

In an extremely small percentage of patients, the surrounding nerves around the affected tooth can be disrupted by the root canal procedure. In some cases, this can cause numbness in that area. This is nothing to worry about – it usually goes away within a few weeks.

Root canal risks – What can you do?

For highly qualified dentists, root canal treatment is an extremely common procedure. That means they’re able to mitigate many of these root canal risks with a skilled team and careful planning.

Stay aware of the potential root canal risks and alert your dentist if you believe there is something wrong.

While complications of the procedure are rare, they are possible, which is why you need a reputable and trusted dentist to handle your procedure. At KentEndo you can be safe in the knowledge that you will always receive the highest possible level of care, in a relaxed and calm environment, ensuring that you can keep your teeth as healthy as possible for as long as possible. If you would like more information or have any questions do not hesitate to ring the surgery on 01622 225555.