Root Canal Treatment- Endodontic Procedures
Root canal treatment is the treatment of choice where the tooth pulp is necrotic (dead) due to trauma, extensive caries or dental inflammation. The treatment saves the tooth from extraction and further pain. The pulp is removed in local anesthesia, the canal or canals are disinfected and cleaned off debris and filled with a bio-compatible material. Due to local anesthesia the whole treatment is completely pain free. Mild sensitivity might be present after treatment but will get better over time.
Steps of a Root Canal Treatment
The dentist will diagnose the problem after intraoral and radiographic exam
Local anesthetic is administered, the procedure will be completely pain free. Sometimes inflamed pulp and tissues are harder to anesthetize, so multiple shots might be necessary.
The pulp chamber is exposed by creating an access cavity through the crown
Cleaning and disinfecting the root portion and enlarging the canals to create space for root canal filling. Anti- inflammatory agents are administered with the root canal filling.
Temporary anti-inflammatory filling might be needed before the final filling is delivered
The final root canal filling completely seals the prepared cavity, preventing the entry of bacteria.
Restorations after endodontic therapy
The root canal treated tooth has lost a lot of tooth structure during access preparation and is more fragile due to loss of moisture. A post is sometimes necessary to restore the lost structures. A filling will be made to seal of the root canal areas. Due to the fragility of the root canal treated teeth a dental crown (cap) might necessary to maintaining the integrity of the tooth for an extended period of time. Most posterior teeth are recommended to be crowned due to higher chewing forces.
