More commonly known as root canals, Endodontic therapy is helpful when the nerve of a tooth becomes infected and is designed to allow patients to preserve their tooth. Without root canal treatment, dentists would have to extract teeth with infected nervous systems; Fortunately, root canals maintain tooth structure so other teeth don’t fall out of alignment and cause more serious jaw problems. Because endodontic therapy saves the natural tooth, patients do not need an artificial tooth.
Treatment details
Endodontic therapy is simply the removal of infected, injured, or dead pulp from the root system of your tooth. Within the hard layers of each tooth is the root canal system which is filled with dental pulp. The soft tooth pulp is made up of nerves and blood vessels that help the tooth grow and develop. But when deep cavities allow bacteria to enter and damage the pulp, a tooth abscess can develop. Unfortunately, when the pulp becomes infected, it helps to treat the pain and swelling associated with the abscess. Without treatment, infected pulp can lead to serious oral health problems.
Root canal treatment is actually a common treatment that can be performed by your dentist or endodontist. Endodontists have completed a postgraduate specialty program in endodontics; therefore they are highly qualified to perform root canals or any endodontic treatment of the tooth pulp and nerve of the tooth.
There are basic steps involved in root canal treatment:
1. Your dentist will numb your gums in the area of the damaged tooth.
2. A rubber dam is placed around the affected tooth to prevent bacteria from saliva from entering the treated area.
3. Your dentist reaches the root canal system and the infected pulp through an opening he makes in the tooth.
Common procedure
When people talk about endodontics, they usually associate this particular treatment with a painful experience, this was the case before technology intervened, the most common procedure performed in endodontics is the root canal. These steps involved in the developed therapy require dentists to make incisions in the affected tooth to remove infections that have reached the pulp.
The word endodontics comes from the Greek “endo” meaning inside and “odons” meaning tooth, in aesthetic dentistry. If the caries of a tooth is quite severe, that is, if the caries are from the enamel to dentin and ultimately the pulp. Conventional cosmetic dentistry procedures are applicable until this therapy is about to end. Teeth which is damage and darker dentin, are in process of treatment. If the dental pulp becomes infected, root canal treatment is required. To prevent further breakouts and infections. Educational dentists use laser technology to disinfect the area and remove bacteria, then fill and seal the area. This procedure effectively prevents complications at the root and pulp levels.
While many general dentists prefer to refer such procedures to specialist dentists in the field, most general dentists qualify to perform general endodontic work.
Other procedures
Other procedures are in process through endodontics include drainage and internal teeth whitening, this procedure is for patients whose teeth have darkened due to tooth decay or other soft tissue.
While the root of the procedure is relatively painless when done correctly, most people generally refer to it by their general stereotype, which is just an extremely painful surgery.
References:
1-Root Canal
Updated on May 24, 2018, Debra Stang
https://www.healthline.com/health/root-canal
1-The Stages of Tooth Decay: What They Look Like
Reviewed on July 30, 2020
https://www.healthline.com/health/dental-and-oral-health/tooth-decay-stages