Root Canal Treatment x-ray

The dental xray seen on the left shows a dental abscesses associated with the upper right central and lateral incisor teeth. Both of these can be seen to have crown restorations, which can be seen as the radio-opaque (white) areas on the coronal aspect of the tooth. The dental xray on the right shows the teeth after the dentist has completed root canal treatment. The radio-opaque (white) stripes in the canals are ‘gutter percha’, which are used in root canal treatment to fill the space previously filled by the pulp (dental nerve). Root filled teeth tend to become more brittle than normal teeth and also discolour with time. With this in mind, a dentist may wish to use a crown or other restorations to improve the strength and appearance of the tooth.