Tooth Angels & Co. Dental Surgeons

Endodontics, or Root Canal Treatment, is the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the dental pulp. The pulp is made up of nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissue, which are important in tooth development.

There are very small canals within your tooth and they can become infected quite easily. This causes the pulp inside your tooth to become infected as well. Your dentist removes the infection by performing a root canal procedure. This is one of the safest and most effective methods of saving a damaged tooth.

There are a variety of causes that causes a tooth to require a root canal treatment including:

deep decay
repeated dental procedures
a crack or chip in the tooth.
An injury to a tooth may also cause pulp damage, even in cases where the tooth has no visible external damage.

One of the most common causes for this infection is an untreated cavity. Another reason is when the pulp inside the tooth becomes inflamed from trauma or extensive restorative work which is why dentists are wary of applying a series of fillings to one tooth, in a short period of time.

In many cases, symptoms include pain, prolonged sensitivity to heat or cold, tenderness felt when chewing, discoloration, swelling of the gum, drainage and tenderness in the lymph nodes as well as nearby bone and gingival tissues. It is possible, however, that there will be no symptoms at all.

Teeth that have undergone root canal therapy will need to be restored to full function. Restoration is important as endodontically treated teeth are susceptible to fracture, and any fracture could lead to a permanent loss of the tooth.

Restorations usually involve a composite filling or a full crown, depending on the strength of the remaining tooth. Anterior teeth usually maintain most of their structure and can be restored with a composite filling. However, if a large part of the tooth is missing, then a crown is required.

A non-vital tooth is more brittle than a vital one and is more liable to fracture so, in most cases, it is recommended that your root canal tooth be crowned (capped) following treatment.

Posterior teeth are not often restored with composite fillings because they are more exposed. They are usually restored with full crowns, covering and supporting the entire tooth, as well as maintaining the occlusion.

In some cases the pulp becomes infected again due to the body's inability to suppress a secondary infection. A second root canal procedure must then be done. Your dentist must remove the entire previous filling in the canal and pulp area in order to start again. This will require more time and expense.

You may experience some discomfort on the tooth that has been treated. Avoid eating or drinking anything hot as your mouth will still be numb and you may not feel the heat and burn your mouth. Reduce the use of the tooth or area for chewing.

In most teeth especially front teeth, you may notice that your treated tooth has changed color slightly. Your dentist can advise you on a range of tooth whitening procedures if the tooth is not restored with an aesthetically pleasing crown.

Advantages

Pain is always associated with root canals, but the truth is that there should be little or no pain during the procedure.
Any infection will only get worse with time, if left untreated.
The root canal procedure has a success rate of over 92 percent.
The greatest advantage is that the tooth will not need to be extracted in the future.

Disadvantages
Occasionally, infected tissue is pushed through the ends of the root infecting the gum. This can be treated easily, but there will be some pain until the infection is cleared up.
Canals are irregularly shaped, and if the canal is not cleaned or filled completely, the remaining 8% requires the body to combat any existing infection. If the body adapts poorly, this may cause the pulp to become infected again and a second procedure will be necessary increasing the cost of treatment.