Root canal is a treatment to repair and save a badly damaged or infected tooth instead of removing it. The term "root canal" comes from cleaning of the canals inside a tooth's root.
Decades ago, root canal treatments often were painful. With dental advances and local anesthetics, most people have little if any pain with a root canal. In fact, it's probably more painful living with a decayed tooth. Root canal alternatives include extracting the damaged tooth and replacing it with a dental implant, bridge or removable partial denture.
When is a root canal treatment needed?
A root canal treatment can save a badly infected or damaged tooth. The tooth may have become infected or damaged by decay, repeated dental work, wear and tear, gum disease, cracked fillings or an injury to the tooth.
When the dental pulp is damaged, bacteria can start to multiply inside the tooth. This can lead to an infection or abscess, which is a pocket of pus that forms at the end of the tooth’s root.
Saving your own tooth if possible is important. It works better than an artificial tooth for biting and chewing. Losing a tooth can lead to other problems in the mouth. Replacing a lost tooth with an artificial one often needs more complex dental procedures. Root canal treatment is often the best way of saving a tooth.
What are the signs I might need a root canal treatment?
Sometimes there are no symptoms that a tooth needs root canal treatment. More commonly, the signs include:
- severe toothache when biting or chewing
- sensitivity to hot or cold that lasts after the heat or cold has been removed
- darkening of the tooth
- swollen and tender gums
- pus around an infected tooth
- swelling of the face or neck
- a loose tooth
What happens during a root canal treatment?
- With the first anaesthesia, you will not feel any pain.
- The decay is cleaned or the broken piece is removed and the nerves of the tooth are exposed.
- Nerves and tissues in the root of the tooth are cleaned
- The root canal is shaped up to the root tip
- Rvg (x-ray) is taken to determine the root canal length
- A dressing containing medicine is prepared and placed to heal the root and root tip between sessions.
- Temporary composite will be placed to ensure the medicine can work properly.
- At the end of the canal treatment, the canal is filled up to the root tip with specialized root canal filler plastic as well as specialized bonding material to seal the canal completely.
Things to consider during root canal treatment
- No food or drinks should be consumed until the anaesthesia wears off
- During the treatment, sticky and hard foods such as nuts and gum should be avoided in the area of the treated tooth. Most tooth fractures are seen between sessions.
- The infected tooth must be cared for well so that the temporary filling does not fall off between treatment sessions.
Pain during and after root canal treatment
The patient does not feel any pain as anaesthesia will be performed during root canal treatment. After the treatment, there may be slight pain and sensitivity in the tooth, especially during chewing. It is okay to use a mild anti-inflammatory drug for a few days after treatment.
Thanks to the latest materials and techniques used in root canal treatments, most of the abscesses at the root tip can be treated and tooth extractions can be avoided.
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