A tooth that throbs or reacts to anything warm has an infected nerve, and most people at that point are quietly weighing whether to just have it pulled. At Roman Dental, we save the tooth instead, with root canal therapy performed in-house in West Houston.
A root canal, properly called root canal therapy, is a procedure that removes infected or inflamed pulp from inside a tooth, then cleans, fills, and seals the space so you keep the tooth instead of losing it. Nothing is removed except the soft tissue inside. The tooth, roots included, stays where it is.
Strictly speaking, the root canal is the anatomy: the narrow channel running inside each root. A molar has three or four, a front tooth usually one. Cleaning and sealing those channels is the therapy, which is why you will also see it written as root canal treatment or endodontic treatment. Most people say “root canal,” and so do we.
The pulp is that soft tissue in the hollow center of your tooth, holding the nerves and blood vessels that grew the root. Once a tooth is fully developed, it no longer needs the pulp to survive, because the tissues around it keep it nourished.
Pulp gets infected for a short list of reasons, all of which we see in West Houston:
Once bacteria reach the pulp, the infection will not clear on its own, which leaves two options: treat the tooth or remove it.
Roman Dental performs root canal therapy start to finish in our West Houston office, so the dentist who diagnoses the tooth is the one who treats it. Most cases are finished in a single visit.
Many general dentists diagnose a root canal and then send you to an endodontist across town, which means a second consult and a wait while the tooth keeps hurting. We treat it here, and when a case genuinely calls for a specialist, we say so up front.
We offer three levels of sedation: nitrous oxide, oral sedation, and IV twilight sedation. If anxiety is the reason a tooth has gone untreated for months, mention it when you book.
Dr. Roman Kotlarek has more than 25 years in practice, and Roman Dental has treated West Houston patients from the same Memorial Drive office since 1999. Root canal therapy is routine work here, not a procedure we refer away.
We are in-network with most PPO plans, and payment options cover whatever insurance leaves over. We check your benefits before the appointment, so the estimate you get is the real number.
A root canal is necessary when the pulp inside your tooth is infected or dying, because that tissue cannot heal once bacteria reach it. We confirm it with an X-ray to see whether infection has reached the root tip, plus cold and pressure tests to check whether the nerve is still alive.
The symptoms that most often bring West Houston patients in:
Some teeth need a root canal with no pain at all. Once the nerve dies the ache stops and the infection shows up only on an X-ray, which is why we image rather than go by symptoms alone.
Waiting has a cost. An untreated infection spreads into the bone around the root, and a tooth we could save this month can become an extraction later.
Root canal therapy is not the painful part. The infected nerve that brought you in is what hurts, and the treatment is what stops it. We numb the tooth before anything begins, and most patients say it feels similar to getting a routine filling.Â
In our West Houston dental office the appointment usually runs 30 to 90 minutes, and what most people notice is pressure and sound rather than pain. The tooth stays tender for a few days afterward, and sedation is available if sitting in the chair is the harder part for you.
Saving a tooth with a root canal means nothing has to replace it. In a study of more than 1.4 million treated teeth, 97% were still in place eight years later.
A root canal is often one step of two or three. These are the related treatments we handle in the same West Houston office.
The cap that protects a treated back tooth from cracking.
For a tooth too cracked or decayed to save.
For infection at the root tip needing a surgical approach.
For patients who put off treatment because of dental anxiety.
Root canal treatment relieves the soreness and swelling caused by an infected or abscessed tooth. The soft tissue inside the tooth is removed and replaced with a natural filling material called gutta-percha, and afterward the tooth and the tissue around it become healthy and comfortable. With current technology we complete most root canals in a single visit.
Some side effects following root canal therapy are common but temporary. They include the same symptoms that first brought you in, such as gum tissue swelling or jaw soreness. After treatment it is common to have pressure sensitivity for a few days. In almost all cases, 7 to 14 days after treatment, chewing will be comfortable and the tooth should feel completely normal.
Common side effects following root canal treatment include:
Multiple days of discomfort, swelling, or fever can occur but are very rare. Most often we prescribe an antibiotic that reduces or prevents lingering side effects. If you have prolonged tooth or gum sensitivity after treatment, call us as soon as possible for evaluation.
Swelling, sensitivity to hot or cold, or pain when you bite usually means the nerve is infected. We treat root canals in-house in West Houston, most in a single visit.
A root canal in West Houston typically runs $650 to $1,500 depending on the tooth and whether you have insurance, before the crown. Benchmark data puts a front tooth at roughly $650 to $1,000, a premolar at $740 to $1,200, and a molar at $950 to $1,500, with the lower end reflecting insured rates. Those are area ranges rather than our fees, so we give you the exact number after the X-ray and before treatment starts.
Most dental insurance covers a root canal as a basic or major procedure, and plans generally pay 80 percent of basic treatments and 50 percent of more invasive ones after your deductible. We are in-network with most major PPO plans, and CareCredit financing spreads the rest over 6 or 12 months.
Most root canals take one visit of 30 to 90 minutes. A molar with extra canals, or a tooth with active infection that has to settle first, can need two. The crown is a separate appointment.
For a back tooth, almost always. A treated tooth is more brittle, and molars absorb the most force when you chew. In a study of 1.4 million treated teeth, 85% of the ones eventually lost had no full crown coverage.
Saving the tooth is usually the better call, since nothing artificial has to replace it and the bone at the root stays where it is. Extraction is right for some teeth, and we will tell you when one cannot be saved rather than treating it and hoping.
Either can handle a straightforward root canal, and we perform them in-house in West Houston. Unusual root anatomy or a previously failed root canal are the cases worth sending to a specialist, and we say so when that applies.
Not for long. An infected nerve will not heal on its own, and the infection spreads into the bone around the root, which is covered in more detail in when a root canal is necessary. If you have facial swelling, a fever, or trouble swallowing, call us the same day.
Monday - Thursday: 8am - 5pm
Friday: 8am - 2pm
Monday - Thursday: 8am - 5pm
Friday: 8am - 2pm
14535 Memorial Dr, Houston, TX 77079
Monday - Thursday: 8am - 5pm
Friday: 8am - 2pm
