Root canal treatment

Endodontic treatment is necessary when the pulp, the soft tissue inside the root canal, becomes inflamed or infected.

The inflammation or infection can have a variety of causes:

Deep decay
Repeated dental procedures on the tooth, or a crack or chip in the tooth

In addition, an injury to a tooth may cause pulp damage even if the tooth has no visible chips or cracks. If pulp inflammation or infection is left untreated, it can cause pain or lead to an abscess. Endodontic treatment conserves dead or infected teeth that will otherwise be extracted.

How does endodontic treatment save the tooth?

The endodontist removes the inflamed or infected pulp, carefully cleans and shapes the inside of the canal, a channel inside the root, then fills and seals the space. Afterwards, you will return to your dentist, who will place a crown or other restoration on the tooth to protect and restore it to full function. After restoration, the tooth continues to function like any other tooth. Endodontic treatment can often be performed in one or two visits depending on the complexity of the case.

Root canal Treatment is a sequence of treatment for the pulp of a tooth which results in the elimination of infection and protection of the decontaminated tooth from future microbial invasion. This set of procedures is commonly referred to as a “root canal”.

Root canals and their associated pulp chamber are the physical hollows within a tooth that are naturally inhabited by nerve tissue, blood vessels and other cellular entities. Endodontic therapy involves the removal of these structures, the subsequent shaping, cleaning, and decontamination of the hollows with tiny files and irrigating solutions, and the obturation (filling) of the decontaminated canals with an inert filling such as gutta percha and typically a eugenol-based cement.

After endodontic surgery the tooth will be “dead,” and if an infection is spread at apex, root end surgery is required.

Although the procedure is relatively painless when done properly, the root canal remains a stereotypically fearsome dental operation.

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