Harley Street Dental Clinic

Toothache should always prompt a visit to the dentist, because it is often an indication of either tooth decay or infection. Harley Street Dental Clinic offers the services of an emergency dentist when toothache is severe or even unbearable, but even mild toothache requires an appointment with the dentist to prevent it from becoming more serious – it will never get better on its own.

Teeth can become infected more easily than people think. Dental decay can lead to infection if not treated promptly, whilst injury and damage to the teeth also frequently enable bacteria to enter the tooth, leading to infection.

You should always get even a minor crack in a tooth seen to by a dentist as a matter of urgency to minimise the risk of this happening. But if infection should arise, the important thing to do is not to panic, but to book an appointment at Harley Street Dental Clinic as soon as possible.

The need for root canal treatment

Root canal treatment is one of those procedures with a bad reputation, which can evoke fear in even the bravest of dental patients. However, with modern techniques and materials, this reputation is unwarranted. Root canal treatment is pain free at our Harley Street clinic. It is also essential to saving your tooth.

At Harley Street Dental Clinic our root canal treatment is carried out by specialist endodontist Dr Nectaria Polycarpou. An endodontist is a dentist who has undertaken additional training to specialise in endodontics – aka root canal treatment.

Dr Polycarpou is well known for her caring and gentle nature, helping even those who are scared of the dentist to enjoy successful treatment without pain or stress.

Root canal treatment involves the use of special tools to cleanse your tooth of all traces of infection. It often requires at least two appointments at Harley Street Dental Clinic to ensure that the infection has completely gone before the dentist permanently fills the tooth.

If you need more than one appointment, a temporary filling will be placed between visits. Often, after root canal treatment, it is beneficial to place a crown on your tooth for extra strength.

When a dentist utters the words “root canal treatment” even the bravest of patients may feel a twinge of fear. At Harley Street Dental Clinic we are keen to point out that, thanks to modern dental techniques, root canal treatment is nothing to be afraid of. On the contrary, it can in fact be essential to saving a tooth.

At Harley Street Dental Clinic our root canal work is carried out by Dr Nectaria Polycarpou, a specialist endodontist who can treat even the most complex of cases. She is known for her warm, kind-hearted and compassionate nature, and can reassure patients who are anxious about treatment.

Endodontics is the specialist area of dentistry that deals with root canal therapies. Your dentist will prescribe root canal treatment when a tooth becomes infected. Untreated tooth infection can quickly become unbearably painful, and if you continue to ignore it can result in you losing your tooth. Your dentist will work hard to prevent that from happening.

Teeth become infected for a number of reasons. Visiting your dentist regularly should help to prevent tooth decay, but it does still happen and if it is not addressed promptly it can allow bacteria to enter the pulp or nerve at the centre of your tooth.

Injury to the teeth can also result in infection. Even a tiny chip or crack can be enough to let bacteria in, which is one of the reasons you should call an emergency dentist as soon as possible after an injury occurs.

Harley Street endodontics

When you come to our Harley Street clinic for endodontic treatment, Dr Polycarpou will numb your tooth with local anaesthetic before using a range of specialist instruments to cleanse the root canal(s) of all traces of infection. If you are scared of the dentist, sedation is also an option.

Root canal treatment usually requires at least two visits to our Harley Street clinic, so your dentist can be sure that the infection has fully cleared before permanently filling the tooth. We will usually place a crown on root treated teeth to give them additional strength and restore their appearance.

If your dentist said: “You need root canal treatment?” would your heart sink a little bit? At Harley Street Dental Clinic we understand that many patients are nervous about root canal treatment. However, we are keen to reassure our patients that this specialised procedure is not just pain-free, but is also essential to prevent the need for your tooth to be extracted – an outcome nobody wants. It really is nothing to be scared of.

Root canal treatment, also known as endodontics, is necessary when the pulp or nerve at the centre of a tooth becomes infected. This is fairly common and can result from untreated tooth decay, accident or injury. You may or may not realise that your tooth has been damaged; the first sign that something is wrong is usually toothache.

Endodontic treatment involves your dentist using a binocular microscope and special files to cleanse the tooth of infection. After cleaning the space inside the root this is then filled to stop further infection occurring. In most cases, the tooth is then fitted with a crown to give it extra strength following the procedure. All of this is done under local anaesthetic, so you should experience no pain or discomfort.

At our Harley Street dental clinic our endodontic work is carried out by specialist Dr Nectaria Polycarpou, who is highly skilled and experienced and is also known for her kind, compassionate nature, which helps patients to relax before and during treatment.

Most patients who have had the procedure at our Harley Street centre report it feels no different to having a standard filling, although your appointment is likely to be longer because this is delicate, skilled work. You will require two or more appointments with the dentist to complete this procedure to ensure all infection has cleared.

Some teeth have more root canals than others (the front teeth often have one, the back teeth two or more) so the length of your appointment will depend on which tooth is involved.

Dentistry is a medical field that is constantly advancing in terms of technology, making thing like root canal treatment significantly more successful than years past. As with all other medical treatment, however, complications may still occur. These little problems could be due to the body’s failure to adjust to the procedure or your shortcoming in terms of post-treatment maintenance.

Root canal treatments may be more advanced, but slight pain after the procedure is still a normal response. Expect the pain to be mild, your tooth tender to bite and your gum sensitive to touch. You can manage the ache by taking painkillers or avoiding the area when eating. It should subside after. If this is not the case, then:

Your Teeth Could Be Fractured

Expect teeth to be weak after treatment, especially considering how it suffered through the original damage or decay and through the access cavity that came as a result of the procedure. As they are weak, they could crack easily and cause you stressful amounts of pain.

Fractures could also necessitate another procedure: extraction. This all depends on the extent of the crack; if the pain or swelling post-treatment do not subside after a few weeks, it is best to consult with a trusted dental professional.

Your Dentist Could Have Failed

Despite the previously mentioned dental and technological advancements, there are still difficult cases that result in failed root canal treatments. To illustrate, tight, curved nerve canals and teeth are difficult to access. This could result in problems getting treatment completed because of the limited opening.

Other than trouble with the difficult teeth and opening, there have been reported cases of a dentist failing to find and clean all the canals inside your tooth. It could also be that the dentist failed to fill canals adequately. Both failures by your dentist could lead to weeks of throbbing pain and swelling.

Although possible, pain and complication are completely avoidable. Harley Street Dental Clinic is London’s leading centre of excellence for all things dental. You can trust us to perform the procedure efficiently and assist you in the process of recovery.

Contact us today for a dental practice you can trust.