Need a root canal treatment for an inflamed tooth
Has this ever happened to you too?After a long day at the office, you take a little breather in a pub to relax with one or two beers. One nice cold one after the other, accompanied by a Gulaschtopf – a pillar of good old traditional Austrian cuisine – makes the night feel much better already! “Hm, wait. My upper right corner tooth feels a little weird. Wonder if that’s because of the cold-hot combination of the beer with the Gulasch?” I thought to myself. But since the pain faded away quite quickly, I soon forgot about it. On the very next morning, I did however receive the probably overdue wake-up call – in the form of a bump in the gum line above that very same corner tooth that had felt a little sensitive just the night before. “Well, maybe it’ll disappear and get better by itself.” I hoped at first but since the bump only grew and started hurting over the following few days, I decided that it was time to go see a dentist.
What is a root canal procedure?
After a detailed and careful examination, my dentist delivered his final diagnosis: an inflamed tooth root. “Don’t worry – we’ll fix this with a standard root canal procedure.” he said. Teeth that have been significantly damaged by decay can oftentimes only be saved via a special procedure called “root canal”. This procedure is usually quite lengthy (and potentially painful) and encompasses the following steps:- Removal of the decayed/infected dental pulp
- Cleaning of the tooth root canals
- Filling of the clean tooth root canals to prevent reinfection by bacteria
- Sealing of the treated tooth with a crown
Though a tooth dies after undergoing a root canal procedure, it can still serve its purpose for many years afterwards. The average long-term success rate of root canal procedures lies at roughly 65%. “Alright then – as long as the chance for success is above 0%, let’s give it a go!” I joked nervously.
Do I need a root canal treatment?
Besides tooth ache, a swollen cheek is often one of the main symptoms of an inflamed tooth root which is usually caused by bacteria that eat their way into the inside of the tooth and then attack the tooth root directly. The result of this is a painful and ulcerous abscess that manifests itself as a bump in the gum line above the diseased tooth and that is usually visible to the naked eye.Root canal procedures may also become necessary after intense dental work such as tooth replacements to proactively prevent potential tooth root inflammations.
How much does a root canal treatment cost?
In general, dental health insurance policies in Austria cover root canal procedures. However, patients do have to factor in out-of-pocket costs for the use of a microscope as well as for additional services such as the electronic length measurement of the tooth root or special disinfection methods.In addition, the costs of a root canal procedure vary depending on what type of tooth is treated:
- Single-channel incisors and posterior teeth: € 500 - 750
- Dual-channel posterior teeth: € 750 - 1000
- Corner teeth: € 1,000 – 1,500
After roughly 70 minutes and an almost painless procedure, my corner tooth was finally clean and abscess-free again and only a few weeks later, my dentist sealed it up with a new pearly-white crown. “Nice – I can hardly see the difference between the crown and my other teeth. All’s well that ends well!”
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