Dentistry

Endodontics is the specialty of dentistry that deals with treating disease inside the tooth. If a tooth has been badly decayed or traumatized the pulp inside the tooth can become infected. When the infection goes beyond the tips of the root a dental abscess can form. To treat or prevent this dental abscess the dentist cleans out all the necrotic pulp tissue from within the pulp chamber and root canals. Once the tooth is sufficiently cleaned out and as sterile as possible, the root canal system is sealed off.

A small percentage of root treatments do fail, especially if they are only done long after the abscess develops. However, many teeth are successfully saved from extraction, and root treatments are a valuable treatment option against teeth extractions. Radiographs are important for root canal treatment. They are taken before, during, and after root canal treatment to determine the approximate length of the roots and their particular shapes and curvatures.

First, the dentist removes decayed and weak parts of the tooth. An opening into the tooth’s pulp chamber is prepared, allowing access to the openings of the root canals. These are cleaned with special hand and motorized instruments and constantly rinsed to aid in debris removal and canal sterilization. In some, but not all root canal cases, the canals may be dressed with various medications and sealed with a temporary filling material to allow time for the infection to clear before they are filled. Placing a suitable final restoration filling is almost as important as the root treatment itself. Teeth, with large amounts of damage, may need a post (a metal or fiber-reinforced resin rod) down one or more canals, to anchor the filling securely onto the root of the tooth.

However, if the access opening is closed, root-treated teeth will always be weaker than natural teeth, and prone to cracking or splitting. A serious fracture could mean removing the tooth that was so carefully saved with the root canal treatment. A good way to avoid such a disaster is to crown the tooth. If a tooth has an abscess it can firstly cause severe pain, but not always. Some abscesses can be surprisingly painless. Nevertheless, the infection at the root tips can spread, into the surrounding bone and soft tissues, and cause more serious infections with swelling and pain. Bacteria also enter the bloodstream and can infect other parts of the body. Unfortunately, the only alternative dental treatment a dentist can suggest is to remove the infected tooth.

Often, teeth necessitating root canal treatments, are weakened from the large tooth decay cavity, and cannot easily be simply extracted. Many require surgical removal. Initially, the removal of the tooth may save costs. However, in the long term replacing the missing tooth is far more costly than root treating it and restoring it with a suitable restoration, usually a crown. Dentists advise against leaving gaps.