“Friendly and confident - made me feel at ease! Treatment didn't hurt and was no where near as bad as I had expected. Thankyou for taking such good care."    L. Rice

More patient testimonials...

Patient FAQ's

If you have been referred for root treatment or root canal therapy by your dentist or are just inquisitive about this treatment, you may find the following information interesting.

Why do you need this treatment?:

You may have knocked your tooth
You may have fractured/cracked your tooth
You may have a large cavity in your tooth which has progressed into or close to your nerve
You may have recently changed a filling in your tooth
You may have recently had a crown placed on your tooth
Your dentist has advised root filling for a number of reasons

What is a root filling?:

When you smile you only show part of your tooth, the crown.  The rest of the tooth is anchored in your jaw under the gum by a root or roots.   Within the roots are nerves which are nourished by a blood supply.  If the blood supply is compromised or the nerve is traumatised and/or infected, the nerve will die.  The nerve sometimes dies slowly and sometimes abruptly.  You may experience mild to excruciating pain or hot and cold or biting sensitivities.  Some people may develop an abscess which causes a swelling in their face.

The root canal procedure involves numbing the tooth like when having a normal dental filling.  Following good anaesthesia, the procedure is carried out totally painlessly.  A plastic barrier is put on the tooth for your comfort and safety. 90-95% of patients prefer the dentist using this barrier.  The nerve is totally and painlessly cleaned out of the root canal within the root.  The root canal is washed and dried and a plastic root filling is squashed tightly in the canal to ensure a successful result.  The use of sophisticated instrumentation like digital x-rays will be taken to ensure an accurate result is obtained.  The tooth will either be closed with a temporary filling or a permanent core filling.  Sometimes a post will be bonded into the tooth to help retain the core filling.

The tooth may be uncomfortable following the treatment for a day or two and you may be advised to take some anti-inflammatory painkillers.

What are the benefits of root treatment? :

Your choice of treatments is extraction or saving the tooth with root canal therapy. The success rate ranges from 90-97% (which is close to implants’ success) and 70-89% for retreatment and they last many years. Remember, your tooth or root is the most natural ‘implant’.
Completed root canal treatment alleviates unbearable pain within a few hours and reduces to mild discomfort within usually two to three days.  These symptoms can usually be dampened with mild painkillers and sometimes necessary antibiotics. 

If you have any questions about the treatment I would be happy to answer them.

Patient Testimonials

“I was rather worried about any pain but I must say I felt totally relaxed throughout. A brilliant
practitioner.”    Mr. Talbot

“The root canal treatment was comfortable and easy. Far better than I had expected! Not unpleasant
at all.”   V. Adams

“Root canal treatment was excellent. No discomfort or pain whatsoever - almost a pleasant experience! Far removed from that I endured several years ago!”   P. Hill

“Not the daunting experience I was expecting... The treatment was carried out without the area first being numbed, was painless and of fairly short duration. The final xray showed the procedure was successful. Gary came accross as an excellent, skillfull technician with a pleasant personality. Well done and thanks very much.”   M.F. Tagg

“Dr Zolty took time to explain the process to me and was always aware of my needs. The experience was daunting but went much better than expected.”   G. Dignan