ENDODONTICS
Saving smiles from within, root by root, preserving dental harmony beneath the surface
Endodontics
Most individuals cringe at the thought of the term “root canal” because they think of the pain that’s going to be experienced and the cost of treatment that usually comes with tooth treatment. But in the correct sense, they have a poor understanding of what a “root canal” is.
Endodontics refers to a series of dental treatments involved with excising an infection from the structures within the dental cavity. Usually, these procedures are done within the pulp cavity of the tooth which also doubles as the root canal. It’s also known as root canal therapy.
What does root canal treatment mean?
Root canal in the normal sense doesn’t mean a treatment as it’s commonly referred to. That is known as endodontic therapy (endo=inside). Rather, it is known as the pulp or a hollow part of the tooth that houses the neurovasculature of the tooth. These components of the pulp help the tooth to flourish. Its nervous components give hot and cold sensations that are often felt as pain.
The tooth is located in the dental cavity and has a crown situated at the top of the gum with the roots below the gum which join the tooth to the mandible. Now, the pulp is situated within the crown and root canal and helps to provide moisture to the structures within it.
The Procedure
Endodontic therapy is basically carried out in three steps and usually takes from one to three procedures to complete.
Clearing the root canal
This is usually the first step taken by the endodontist and is carried out with local anaesthesia given to the patient. The endodontist then cleans the root canal by removing all that resides within it and then creates a tiny hole for access with a little file on the tooth surface to excavate the dead or non-functioning pulp tissue.
Pervading the root canal
After the first step has been carried out, the endodontist uses the files and solutions containing irrigation mixtures to clean, remove any impurities and shape the hollow area of the canal. A sticky adhesive is added to the tooth to fully seal the canal so that the canal can be filled with a rubber-like component. Any infection present in the tooth is non-existent and the tooth becomes numb and cannot experience any sensation or pain because the nervous tissues responsible for these sensations have been removed. We can say that the tooth is practically dead.
Filling or Inserting a crown
Inserting a crown on the tooth provides it with the needed protection because the tooth has become brittle and has no pulp and gets its source of nourishment from the ligament that joins the tooth to the underlying bone. After the procedures above, the tooth is susceptible to breakage and although it receives nourishment, it only lasts for some time. Thus, it’s advised not to make use of the tooth for chewing or biting until the insertion of the crown or filling has been carried out.
Although treatment for these infections happens once, it may take extra appointments to treat it completely if there are multiple, curved canals or considerably bigger infections.
How much pain is involved?
People usually fear taking these sorts of treatments because they fear the pain that is thought to accompany these treatments. What they ought to realize is that the pain felt stems from the infection rather than the treatment. The treatment given by a professional endodontist is often painless. The endodontist relieves the pain by making the tooth numb using local anaesthesia. Then, the endodontist prescribes the use of antibiotics for bacterial infections and some over-the-counter pain reliever drugs like codeine as a remedy for the pain and tenderness that may be felt after the procedures. This tenderness does not last for long and dissipates over time.
How much does it cost?
There are several ways to go about tooth treatment. Undergoing a root canal therapy saves cost and saves the tooth when compared to other methods which involve tooth extraction whose procedures amass huge costs with bridges and implants for tooth replacement. These procedures also result in misalignment of teeth and malocclusion which leads to chewing difficulty.
What complications may arise?
It’s common for complications to accompany any treatment. Hence, it’s advisable to adhere to the instructions of the endodontist so that a correction of the problem is affected.
Complications usually arise from multiple canals of which the endodontist only accesses a few. This leads to infection if the unseen canal remains untreated and might extend to the bone. Also, infection stems from incompletely sealed canals where the filling material does not go deep into the canal or a break in the root of the tooth or perforation of the canal by breakage of the instruments used in the procedure. Thus, the endodontist must ensure that the filling materials do the job completely.
Difference between a dentist and an endodontist?
A dentist is a specialist who went through dental school while an endodontist is a dentist who has gained additional knowledge and skills after dental school. We can say that fewer than three per cent of dentists are endodontists. They function to provide diagnosis and treatment of dental infections, tooth pain, and offer root canal therapy for their patients. Hence, the popular reference to them as Specialists in Saving Teeth due to the endodontic treatment they provide to infected teeth.