Root canal And Dental pain Root Canal Treatment

It is estimated that over 1 million root canal treatments are done in the USA alone every year.  Root canal therapy or root canal treatment (RCT) is an important dental treatment option for people that want to save an abscessed tooth. Edwin Maynard of Washington, D.C. is credited with introducing the first root canal instrument in 1838.  This first root canal instrument was created by filing a watch spring. A fairly short time later, in 1847, Edwin Truman introduced what to this day is still used in filling the root canal space, after cleaning it. This dental product is called gutta-percha. Interestingly enough, gutta-percha root canal filling material is still used by many dentists still to this day.

We will be in this local dental root canal blog be discussing root canals and why they are done by dentists to save an abscessed tooth.  We will discuss why it is important to fill your teeth if have a small cavity or to fix your tooth if have a hole in it.  Cavities that spread and become larger that go into the pulp chamber area of the tooth, may need root canal treatment if the individual wants to save the tooth.

Root Canals 

Many adults have experienced getting a root canal or have been told may need to get a root canal possibly in the future because they have a deep tooth cavity/tooth caries or have a deep filling.  What is a deep filling?  When the filling that is being done is "very close to the nerve," or the filling is "very deep" - then, the possibility of that tooth requiring root canal sometime down the road is possible.  Usually, dentists will note that they did a deep filling or a filling close to the nerve - and they will place a watch on the tooth.  If the tooth does start to cause pain, then they will know that they may need to do a root canal or they may refer it ours to a root canal specialist called an endodontist.  In this Root Canal Blog, we will be Local Root Canal Chatting online and discussing what is a root canal, and why it may need to have root canal treatment for your tooth.

Root Canal Treatment becomes necessary for a tooth when the tooth pulp becomes infected or inflamed.  When a small cavity enlarges and goes through the enamel and into the dentin layer of the tooth, then maybe looking at having root canal therapy. That is why, if you have a small tooth cavity - it should have it filled before it becomes larger in the tooth. Having a hole in the tooth and leaving it exposed to food debris going into the tooth hole.  It can result in needing a root canal to save the tooth.  Root canal treatment or RCT becomes necessary for those people who do not want to have their tooth extracted and rather save their abscessed tooth with root canal treatment. 

Root Canal Treatment

 Root Canal Treatment may take one session with your dentist, or it may take multiple sessions.  Generally, a molar or large back tooth will take longer since it has more roots, or work for the dentist to do.  Though, this may take one session or 2 or 3 sessions - depending on the circumstance.

The root canal treatment entails cleaning the tooth nerve in the root area of the tooth inside the tooth or pulp chamber of the nerve of the tooth, via the inside chamber of the tooth.  To debride the area of the pulp nerve, dentists use various hand dental instruments or with a motor handpiece. Then a filling is placed inside of the canal. The filling is the most commonly practiced way of doing the root canal. The process involves the filling of a material known as gutta-percha, which protects the teeth from any infection and contamination. After filling, a crown that resembles one of the real teeth is placed on gutta-percha to secure the filling.

General Dentist or Endodontist?

An Endodontist specialist or General Dentist usually will do the root canal. The general dentist or prosthodontist will usually do the crown after the root canal is completed.  It is important to note that root canal treatment and the restoration of the tooth after having root canal treatment, are 2 separate procedures. It is important to have a permanent tooth restoration done after having a root canal treatment of the tooth.

What is an endodontist and what do Local Endodontists do?

Endodontists are specialized dentists that do root canals and other root canal surgical therapies for teeth.  This can include doing an apicoectomy.  Both general dentists and endodontists can provide root canal treatment.  Endodontists are general dentists who do an extra 2 or 3 years of specialty training.

Can a root canal have to be re-done? 

The answer to this is possibly yes.  If the gutta-percha or filling used to go into the root canal does not fully fill the canal in the right way, a re-do may be necessary.  There are many other factors as well.   The likelihood of re-doing a root canal is not that high.  

It takes usually a few days or less, for a root-canaled tooth to return to its normal condition.  Usually, a temporary filling is placed inside the coronal tooth portion of the tooth after root canal treatment. After several days of making sure everything is alright, the patient returns to have the temporary filling removed and filled with a permanent filling. Some patients with root canaled teeth that have more structural damage, may then be advised to get a dental crown or inlay/onlay restoration.

What is an Apicoectomy? 

Sometimes after a tooth is root canaled, a follow-up procedure called an apicoectomy is required for the tooth.  Apicoectomy is sometimes referred to as endodontic microscopic surgery or root-end surgery.  Basically, an incision is made into the gum area where the root of the root-canaled tooth is.  Then the tooth tip is usually removed and refilled in a retrograde way.  That is, a filling is done from the root tip.

 Dentists Chat online about Root Canal Treatment

Millions of people have root canal therapy / root canal treatment (RCT) done every year.  For people with pulp nerve damage, this may be the only way to relieve the pain and the abscess - if the patient wants to save the tooth.  Otherwise, an abscessed tooth that is not given root canal treatment - would most likely need to be extracted.  Hence, root canal therapy is a great way of saving a tooth. 

In this Local Root Canal Blog, we discussed the importance of root canal treatment and how a local root canal is done on a tooth.  Local Root Canal Questions or are asked a root canal question frequently on Dentalchat. Root Canal Chatting, Root Canal Blogging, Local Apicoectomy Chat and discussing what is a root canal was done in this local root canals article.  We have many local dental blogs and other dental subjects we discuss at Dental Chat.