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Last posts on private forums:  sare  2008-06-16 09:56:33 matthew 2008-04-12 21:25:59 pieniadz 2008-04-12 20:52:26
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Last posts on private blogs: matthew 2008-04-12 21:25:17 mary 2008-04-12 19:27:47 |
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You are in: Main Page / Medical articles / Dentistry / Root Canal Procedure Description
What is a root canal procedure? You have probably heard of it but never had to go though. This article tries to give a detailed root canal procedure description.
A root canal is a treatment performed on a tooth that is badly decayed or which has become infected. Without the procedure, the tissue surrounding the tooth could be infected and this can cause development of abscesses so the root canal procedure is necessary. It involves removing the nerve, pulp from the inside of the tooth and cleaning it.
"Root canal" means the natural cavity within the tooth, the pulp and the chamber within the root canal. This is where nerves lie, it is very important to keep a tooth healthy and properly functioning when it emerges from the gums. However, the presence or absence of a nerve does not affect functioning of the tooth.
Does pulp really need to be removed?
When nerve tissue or pulp is damaged, bacteria begin to multiply inside the pulp chamber. As a result, bacteria and debris may result in infection of the abscessed tooth. By the abscess we mean pockets of puss at the end of the roots of the canal. It appears only when infection spreads past the ends of the roots of the tooth. Such a tooth infection can cause swelling spreading to various areas of the face, bone loss or drainage - even into the skin.
Deep decay causes irritation, inflammation and infection of the pulp, if procedures are frequently repeated or teeth have large fillings, as well as a crack in the tooth can cause damages to the tooth's nerve and the pulp.
Symptoms of the need for root canal procedure
Sometimes, there are no signs of such a need, however, common symptoms include severe tooth pain when pressed or while chewing, sensitivity to heat or cold temperatures, discoloration of the tooth, swelling of the gums or recurring pimples on the gums surrounding the tooth.
What does it look like?
A root canal is usually performed by a dentist or endodontist and it usually requires more than one visit. The choice depends on the difficulty of the procedure and degree of the decay. If necessary, your dentist can send you to the specialist, you should discuss the best solutions to the problem.
The first step in the procedure is to make an X-ray so as to check the shape of the root canals and look for possible infections in the surrounding. Then, local anesthesia is done to the areas near the tooth so as you could feel at ease and relaxed. You will also have rubber or sheet dam placed around the tooth so as the area was dry.
During the next step your dentist will create an access hole to the inside of the tooth. Then, all decayed nerve tissue, pulp and debris will be removed from the tooth. Root canal files of various diameters are used to clean out the inside of the tooth, they scrub and scrape the sides of the root canals. Debris is flushed away with water or sodium hypochloride. The tooth is sealed and you are asked to come again to the dentist's office after a couple of weeks, sometimes for the medication to work properly inside the tooth. During the next appointment the dentist fills the interior of the tooth which is a sealer paste and a rubber compound. A filling is placed to fill the hole created at the beginning of the procedure. The final step is to restore the tooth and putting the crown and post to protect the tooth from breaking and restoration.
How much pain does it involve?
With local anesthesia it should not be painful at all.
What happens afterwards?
Your tooth can be sensitive for the several days after the procedure, this is due to tissue inflammation, that feeling can be easily controlled with over-the-counter medications. However, when you're undergoing procedure on one tooth try to avoid chewing with the tooth under repair. This may prevent it from breaking before the tooth is totally restored. Root canal treatment is a very successful procedure, it can last even a lifetime.
Alternative treatments
Saving your own tooth is the best option and the only one worth considering. That's why the root canal procedure gives a chance for the teeth to work best for the organism. Unfortunately, the only alternative is to have the tooth extracted and replaced with a bridge, implant or partial denture. These procedures usually demand more expensive and time consuming procedures.
Added by:
mary
not connected with health care system
Added on:
2009-04-27 14:11:29 ,
Updated:
2009-04-27 14:31:02
Bibliography:
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