How is root canal treatment and root canal treatment performed?
Root canal therapy, which is scientifically called endodontic, is also known as root canal therapy in colloquial terms and is also called endo, ENDO for short. A root canal specialist uses this method to eliminate internal tooth infections.
This treatment method is also used to prevent future tooth infections. Root canal therapy of infected teeth is performed to eliminate bacteria from the tooth root, avoid re-infection of the tooth, and save the natural tooth, which is done in stages by a general dentist or root canal specialist. One of the important issues and ambiguities that people have when visiting a dental clinic and undergoing root canal therapy is how root canal therapy is performed and the stages of root canal therapy. In this article, we discuss the stages of root canal therapy, how root canal therapy is performed, the cost of root canal therapy, and the symptoms of tooth infection.
What are the symptoms of a tooth infection?
If you have an infected tooth, you need a root canal to clear up the infection. Your teeth can even be infected without any symptoms. Signs of a tooth infection may include:
A toothache that doesn’t go away: Many things can cause your teeth to hurt. But pain that’s deep in the tooth or spreads to your jaw, face, or other teeth could mean an infection.
Painful when pressed: If your tooth hurts when you bite or touch it, it could mean something has damaged the nerves around your tooth’s pulp.
Swollen gums: If you have an infected tooth, your gums may be swollen or tender.
Pumps on your gums: Infected teeth can cause pimples or bumps on your gums that ooze pus and smell bad.
Swollen jaw: Your jaw may swell from pus that won’t drain from your infected tooth.
Tooth discoloration: Infection of the dental pulp blocks blood flow to your tooth, causing your tooth to darken.
Loose teeth caused by infected dental pulp can soften the bones that support your tooth, causing your tooth to become loose.
Root canal treatment steps
- Cleaning the root canal:
In the first step, the dentist removes everything inside the root canal. In this step, the patient is under local anesthesia, nd the root canal specialist makes a small hole in the tooth surface for access and removes the diseased and dead pulp tissue with very little trauma.
- Filling the root canal:
In the second step, the dentist cleans, shapes, and disinfects the hollow area using special solutions. The tooth is then filled with a material, and the canals are filled and closed using an adhesive. After root canal treatment, the tooth is dead. The patient will no longer feel pain in that tooth because the nerve tissue has been removed and the infection has been eliminated.
- Adding a crown or filling:
A tooth without a pulp must be nourished by the ligament that connects the tooth to the bone. This is sufficient, but over time, the tooth becomes more fragile, so a crown or filling is needed to protect the tooth. The patient should not chew or chip the tooth until the crown or filling is complete. After the crown or filling is placed, the person can use the tooth as before.
Root canal treatment is usually done in one session. However, if there are complications in the canals, multiple canals, or infection, another one or two sessions are needed for definitive treatment.
How long does root canal treatment take?
In dentistry, as in many medical fields and treatment procedures, it is a bit difficult to determine a specific and accurate duration, and many factors play a role in this. The duration of root canal treatment, and how many sessions are required for root canal treatment? It will vary depending on the severity of the tooth damage, the amount of tooth decay, the type of root, the number of canals in the tooth, and the treatment method of the root canal specialist. The more canals in the tooth, the longer the treatment time will be.
As a general estimate, each session of root canal treatment and the total duration of root canal treatment takes between 30 and 60 minutes, but in more complex cases, the root canal specialist may need up to 90 minutes. The location of the tooth being treated also affects the duration of root canal treatment, because canines or some premolars only have one root to treat, while molars and some premolars may have three roots.
Does root canal treatment hurt?
Many people who want to have their teeth extracted may be initially afraid that the extraction is very painful and unbearable! The pain of root canal treatment is very well-known among people. The truth is that many people who have had their teeth extracted have been asked, and they have said that the pain of tooth extraction is similar to the pain of a filling, and it can be said that this procedure is almost painless.
During the extraction, try to avoid chewing or biting hard foods until the treatment is completed. In some cases, completing the treatment requires several visits to the dentist. After the final treatment, your restored tooth should not be painful, although its sensitivity may increase for a few days. Painkillers available at pharmacies, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen, can be useful to relieve any possible discomfort observed in this regard.
Who needs root canal treatment?
In general, dental composites, depending on the observance of a series of care and principles, will last between 5 and 10 years. Note that if a material is well-maintained, it will last longer. During this time, the crowns may need to be polished. If the composite crowns on your teeth are damaged and fractured, and worn, the dentist can repair and correct them. After 10 to 12 years of installation, the crowns should be replaced with new composite crowns.
When is root canal treatment not beneficial?
Some people prefer to skip the tooth altogether and extract it instead of doing root canal treatment. In these cases, the infection is probably very severe or the tooth has been seriously damaged and can no longer be saved, or is not worth saving for the patient.
Is root canal treatment harmful for pregnant women?
In general, it can be said that if the pregnant woman’s dentist is aware of her pregnancy, there is no contraindication for root canal treatment for pregnant women. Many women mistakenly think that, for example, a certain ampoule caused their baby to fall out, when this is not true at all. Ampoules used for anesthesia do not cause any problems in most cases.
When should we see a root canal specialist?
Root canal treatment is a treatment that all dentists have the knowledge and skills to treat a tooth that has reached the pulp. In certain cases, the tooth may have specific treatment complications, in which case it must be performed by a root canal specialist. Such as the following:
– The tooth root is in the sinus or involved with the nerve
– There is a lesion at the end of the tooth root
– The shape of the root and the tooth canal requires special instruments
– The patient has a recurring abscess on the gum or his face
– The number of canals is not clear on the radiograph
– The tooth roots have a special curve and complexity
– The length of the tooth roots is long
– The tooth canals appear closed on the radiograph
– The path of the tooth root canals is blocked or obstructed
– A pin or post is inside the tooth canal
– The tooth is necrotic or calcified
– There is a fracture of the file inside the root canal
– The previous root canal treatment was not appropriate and requires re-root canal treatment
– The previous root canal treatment was not successful, and a foreign object is stuck in the canal path
Complications of root canal extraction
Tooth extraction is performed to reduce pain and save the damaged tooth, but it may have disadvantages. The patient should be careful in choosing a specialized dentist in Toronto because if the dentist does not have sufficient skills in root canal treatment and leaves even one canal, the infection will spread. In this case, the treatment will completely fail. If the tooth cracks during root canal treatment, the tooth will not be filled properly, and the treatment will not be effective. So be careful in choosing your dentist.
What to expect after root canal treatment?
This treatment should relieve your tooth pain, but until the root canal is finished, that is, the tooth has not been filled or the crown has not been covered if necessary, it is better not to chew on the treated tooth, as this helps prevent re-contamination of the internal space of the tooth. In the first few days after root canal treatment, your tooth may be sensitive due to the natural swelling of the internal tissue, especially if you had pain or infection before the root canal. This sensitivity and discomfort are usually easily controlled with medications and painkillers such as ibuprofen.
