From teeth whitening to dentures, you turn to Oahu Dental Care for all your dentistry needs. That's because they make educating their patients a key part of the healing process. With locations in Pearl City and Honolulu, Hawaii, this dentist office wants to shed some light on a common dental procedure: root canals. 

According to Colgate.com, root canals treat a severely damaged or infected tooth in order to repair and save it. Deep cavities, a tooth crack, or trauma to a tooth can cause damage to the pulp, causing it to become infected. The root canal involves extracting the damaged pulp, cleaning the area, then filling and sealing the tooth. 

You can get a closer look at the steps of the root canal procedure here:

• Numbing The Area: Before making an opening through the crown into the pulp chamber, the dentist will numb the tooth. 
• Pulpectomy: Using specialized tools, the dentists at Oahu Dental Care remove the inflamed or infected pulp and clean the area using irrigation. 
• Filling & Sealing: The tooth canal is filled with a permanent material to guard against further infection. 
• Supportive Post: If a tooth requires extra support, sometimes the dentist will place a post in the canal as well. 
• Tooth Building: First the tooth will be topped with a temporary filling to seal the opening until a permanent crown, also known as a cap, can be placed atop the tooth. 

Root canals often get a reputation for being painful. While root canals do treat a serious dental issue, they are often no more painful than a filling. In addition to root canal therapy, Oahu Dental Care also provides porcelain veneers, Invisalign, tooth extraction, implants, braces, dentures, and more. This family dental practice also has two convenient locations in Pearl City & Honolulu. Visit them online on their website and on Facebook, and call (808) 456-5005 to schedule an appointment today.