Once
upon a time, if you had a tooth with a diseased nerve,
you'd probably lose that tooth. Today, with a special
dental procedure called a root canal therapy you may
save that tooth. Inside each tooth is the pulp which
provides nutrients and nerves to the tooth, it runs
like a thread down through the root. When the pulp
is diseased or injured, the pulp tissue dies. If you
don't remove it, your tooth gets infected and you
could lose it. After the dentist removes the pulp,
the root canal is cleaned and sealed off to protect
it. Then your dentist places a crown over the tooth
to help make it stronger.
Most of the time,
a root canal is a relatively simple procedure with
little or no discomfort involving one to three visits.
Best of all, it can save your tooth and your smile!
Your dentist uses root canal treatment to find the
cause and then treat problems of the tooth's soft
core (the dental pulp). Years ago, teeth with diseased
or injured pulps were removed. Today, root canal treatment
has given dentists a safe way of saving teeth.
An
abscessed (infected) can be caused by tooth decay.
When the pulp is diseased or injured and can't repair
itself, it dies. The most common cause of pulp death
is a cracked tooth or a deep cavity. Both of these
problems can let germs (bacteria) enter the pulp.
Germs can cause an infection inside the tooth. Left
without treatment, pus builds up at the root tip,
in the jawbone, forming a "pus-pocket"
called an abscess. An abscess can cause damage to
the bone around the teeth.
Treatment
often involves from one to three visits. During
treatment, your general dentist or endodontist (a
dentist who specializes in problems of the pulp)
removes the diseased pulp. The pulp chamber and
root canal(s) of the tooth are then cleaned and
sealed.
Here's how your tooth is saved through treatment:
1.
An opening is made through the crown of the tooth
into the pulp chamber. The pulp is then removed. The
root canal(s) is cleaned and shaped to a form that
can be filled.
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Medications
may be put in the pulp chamber and root canal(s)
to help get rid of germs and prevent infection.
A temporary filling will be placed in the crown
opening to protect the tooth between dental visits.
Your dentist may leave the tooth open for a few
days to drain. You might also be given medicine
to help control infection that may have spread beyond
the tooth.
2. On the next visit the temporary filling is removed
and the pulp chamber and root canal(s) are cleaned
and the pulp chamber and root canals are filled
and sealed.
3.
In the final step, a gold or porcelain crown is usually
placed over the tooth.
If
an endodontist performs the treatment, he or she will
recommend that you return to your family dentist for
this final step. The crown of the tooth is then restored.
