Dental treatments such as Root Canal and Tooth Extraction often scare people because there is a lack of knowledge regarding why these procedures are done, why they are important and what goes on in the roots of the teeth that requires these procedures.
Root Canal is one of the most common dental procedures and if you are experiencing some persistent problems in one or more teeth, it may be a hint that you need one. As such, it is important to know about this treatment inside out.
What Is Root Canal?
There is a space inside the tooth which is referred to as the Pulp Chamber. The pulp chamber consists of two elements primarily; the pulp itself (soft connective tissue, nerves and blood vessels) and the root canal system (the canals extending to the roots that house all the nerves and vessels). The pulp is also responsible for the steady formation of hard tissue on the outside which supports the tooth.
When the pulp experiences problems like inflammation or persistent infection resulting in pain, a Root Canal treatment is required. These inflammations and infections may be caused by some other treatment having been done repeatedly on the same tooth, such as filling or scaling. Root fracture due to some hard injury may also be the reason why a root canal is required.
In order to save the tooth from any further damage that may require long and more painful surgical procedures, root canal is performed on the affected teeth. Pay a visit to the dentist if you are experiencing any of the above mentioned symptoms.
The Procedure
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You will be given local anesthesia to temporarily paralyze the working of sensory nerves related to pain sensation. It usually takes 5 to 10 minutes for the anesthesia to completely numb the tooth on which the treatment is to be performed.
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Afterwards, the relevant tooth is closed off from the rest of the mouth by placing a rubber sheet, usually called a rubber dam, around the tooth. This keeps the area dry and prevents the saliva from reaching it.
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A hole is drilled down the tooth to make way for the root canal files; small needles of varying diameter are used for the treatment.
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These files are central to the procedure. They are used to scrape the infected and decayed pulp and nerve tissues. The entire area where the hole is drilled is thoroughly scraped by removing the infected bits. It is basically a cleaning process.
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On intervals, you will be made to rinse with water or sodium hypochlorite to flush the area clean.
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Once the core treatment is done, the area is supposed to be sealed. For this the root canal/tooth interior is filled with two things; rubber compound and sealer paste. These two elements collectively seal the roots, disabling them from feel any sensations at all.
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The hole that was drilled on the exterior is finished with a filling.
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Based on the damage the tooth had sustained before the treatment started, the dentist may also have to put a crown on the tooth to save it from any future problems such as breaking, chipping or decay.
A thorough preemptive checkup of the teeth may help you detect any future problems and get them treated in advance.