The root canal is the space inside the root of your tooth, which primarily contains the pulp chamber. The pulp of your tooth is made up of blood vessels and nerves. It can get infected easily by bacteria if a decaying tooth is left untreated. The bacteria travels down through the tooth and into the root, infecting the pulp and in severe cases goes further down, dissolves the jaw bone, and forms an abscess that can be very painful.
Look out for these symptoms which indicate infection of the pulp inside your root:
1. Swelling in the gums
2. A bad taste in the mouth
3. Pain while biting
4. Extreme sensitivity to hot or cold food or drink
5. Persistent throbbing and severe pain
Sometimes, there are no symptoms at all. And in some cases, the pulp can even die due to an injury to the tooth. That is why dentists recommend a regular check up to ascertain that your teeth are infection-free and to attend to dental caries without delay. The sooner you treat an infected tooth, the better the chances of saving your tooth. Root canal therapy is the best method to rescue an infected tooth.
So what exactly is root canal treatment? It is a fairly simple procedure that initially involves the use of a standard drill to reach the inside of the tooth followed by a slower round drill which removes the decay and exposes the canals. Then, very slim files are used to clean out the infected contents of the canals. Slowly, bigger files are used to clean and shape the canals.
Then the canals are checked for the correct cone size, and customised rubber cones with a liquid sealant are placed inside the canals. The cones are compacted further with the use of spreading instruments to tightly seal the canal. The excessive bits of cone sticking out of the canals are removed using a heated instrument which can also be used to compact the cones into a better fit. One or more posts are placed, if necessary, to retain the core and strengthen the tooth. But, in some cases, posts tend to weaken the tooth as most of the contents of the canals are removed.
This is followed by light-cured resin which is placed to fill the space. This is soft when placed but hardens when a bright light is shone on it. The tooth is still rather weak and cannot handle harsh biting at this stage. It would be best to prepare the top of the tooth and place a crown on it. Any infection at the bottom of the pulp chamber will disappear over time and the root will be saved.
There are usually no major complications associated with root canal therapy but there have been instances of tool breakage during the procedure. The broken metal piece is usually not extracted but left inside the tooth!
Root canal therapy is otherwise known as Endodontic Therapy and there have been lots of advances in this area of dentistry. Root canal treatment is now largely automated and much faster. A typical root canal procedure could last a couple of hours and can be done in a single sitting. Although laser therapy is touted to be the latest innovation, it is not very effective in removing the infection completely and can also damage the tooth.
Through excellent preventive, restorative, and cosmetic dentistry, PLUS technologies that make dental visits pleasant, we work with you to achieve a smile that can maximize your personal health and appearance, and raise your self-esteem. Salem Dental is your complete family friendly office, and we can provide a custom solution for your dental needs regardless your age.
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