Root Canal Treatment (Endodontic Treatment)
Root canal treatment is a treatment method used to repair and save a severely decayed or infected tooth. During the root canal treatment process, the nerve and dental pulp (pulp) are removed, the inside of the tooth is cleaned and filled. Starting root canal treatment early is important to save the tooth. When a painful tooth is neglected for a long time, infection spreads to the surrounding tissues and the tooth is lost.
The pulp, the living part of the tooth, contains vessels, nerves and connective tissue. This tissue continues with tubular channels within the tooth root and ends at the root tip. Root canal treatment is required in cases where there is infection in the living tissues we mentioned or if they are exposed due to trauma.
In root canal treatment, the pulp chamber of the tooth and the soft tissues inside the canals are removed. The channels are tried to be cleared of bacteria. Root shaping is done. For this purpose, the root canal walls are filed. After ensuring that the canal cleaning and shaping steps are completed completely, the cleaned canals are filled with canal filler. All of these procedures are called root canal treatment.
In a healthy tooth, there is fluid circulation within the tooth. This gives flexibility to the tooth. After root canal treatment, fluid circulation is interrupted. The tooth loses fluid every day and becomes brittle. For this reason, teeth that have undergone root canal treatment are crowned.
Dental pulp is sensitive to cold and hot stimuli and warns the person as an alarm mechanism. Heat sensitivity disappears in teeth with root canal treatment.
What you need to know about the treatment used to save your aching tooth.
If the dental canals are out of standards, it may jeopardize the success of the root canal treatment we plan to perform. Not every tooth that has root canal treatment is always saved. Sometimes the channels can be narrow or blocked. Sometimes there may be channels that bifurcate. In such cases, it is impossible to perform successful root canal treatment on the tooth.
Channels suitable for cleaning are treated with modern treatment methods and can be used for a long time.
Root canal treatments may require repeat treatments over time due to the root canal sealer resorbing.
It is recommended that the tooth be crowned after successfully completed root canal treatment.
We can say that the tooth dies with root canal treatment. A living tooth is always better than a dead tooth.
Root canal treatment should not be performed on teeth unless necessary.
Root canal treatment is a painless treatment.
Although it is usually completed in a single session, it may sometimes need to be applied in several sessions.
Benefits of Root Canal Treatment
It prevents tooth extraction. Our own tooth root, even if it is dead, is more useful than an artificial tooth root. After tooth extraction, loss of function, aesthetic problems and speech-related problems occur.
Root Canal Treatment Duration
Root canal treatment takes place in a single session or two sessions, depending on the damage to the tooth. If the infection in the tooth is very widespread, root canal treatment can be completed in three sessions. Root canal treatment can be performed by a dentist or endodontist. An endodontist is a dentist who specializes in the causes, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diseases of the dental pulp or dental nerve.
The first step in root canal treatment is to take an X-ray to see the shape of the root canals and to detect any signs of infection in any surrounding bone. Your dentist or endodontist then uses local anesthesia to numb the area next to the tooth. Anesthesia may not be necessary because the nerve has died, but most dentists choose to numb the area to make the patient more comfortable and calm. Next, your dentist places a waterproof material around the tooth to keep the area dry and free of saliva during treatment.
In the next step, a hole will be drilled into the tooth to reach the infected area. Pulp, decayed nerve tissue, and related infection debris in this area, along with bacteria, are removed from the tooth. In order to complete the cleaning process and fill the channel effectively, the channel must be widened.
Root canal tools resembling a nail file are used to widen the canal. This process is called channel filing. Since the nerves are removed during this procedure, the patient does not feel any pain. Water or sodium hypochlorite components are used periodically to clean both the debris accumulated during the filing process and the remaining residue inside.
After the tooth is thoroughly cleaned, it should be sealed. Some dentists prefer to wait a week before filling the tooth permanently. For example, if an infection is suspected, your dentist may put a special medicine inside the tooth to eliminate the infection. Some dentists may prefer to seal the tooth on the day it is cleaned. If the root canal treatment is not completed on the same day, a temporary filling is placed in this cavity in the teeth to prevent debris such as saliva and food from filling in.
