ROOT CANAL TREATMENT
This is the branch of dentistry that deals with the nerve of the tooth (tooth’s pulp). The pulp is found in the center of the tooth and in canals found inside the root of each tooth. Removing the pulp of the tooth is usually referred to as Root Canal Treatment. This may be needed due to two reasons:
First: is infection. An untreated cavity is a common cause of pulp infection. The decay destroys the tooth until it reaches the pulp. Bacteria then infect the pulp, and antibiotics can’t get to infections inside the teeth.
Second: a damage that may happen to the pulp that can’t be fixed. Tooth fracture or trauma can damage the pulp.
When the pulp is inflamed but not infected, it may heal on its own, so your dentist may want to see if this will happen before doing root canal treatment. If the pulp remains inflamed it can be painful and may lead to infection. An infection in the pulp can affect the bone around the tooth. This can cause an abscess to form.
So the goal of root canal treatment is to save the tooth by removing the infected or damaged pulp, treating any infection and filling the empty root canals with a material called gutta percha.
If root canal treatment is not done, an infected tooth may have to be extracted. It is better to keep your natural teeth if you can. If a tooth is missing, neighbouring teeth can drift out of line. Keeping your natural teeth also helps to avoid other treatments such as implants or bridges. Also if you ignore an infected tooth, the infection can spread to other parts of your body.
Your tooth might need root canal treatment if:
- It hurts when you bite down on it, touch it or push on it.
- It is sensitive to heat.
- It is sensitive to cold for more than a couple of seconds.
- There is swelling near the tooth.
- If the tooth is discoloured (whether it hurts or not).
- If the tooth is broken.
In our office we use one of the most recent techniques in root canal treatment which is Rotary Protaper filing technique. These are motor driven files that help in better cleaning and shaping of the canals of the roots of the teeth. This technique affords extraordinary flexibility, efficiency, safety, simplicity, and accuracy.