Root Canal Treatment
Are You in Need of a Root Canal?
Endodontic dentistry or endodontics is a branch of dentistry that specializes in the treatment of the inside of the tooth, including tooth enamel and nerve pulp. If tooth decay is not treated in time, it will spread deeper into the teeth causing the the tooth pulp tissue to die. This can lead to loss of the tooth. An injury or disease that affects the insides of a tooth is treated with the help of endodontic dentistry.
There are many procedures performed in endodontic dentistry; many of these procedures are performed to relieve pain in the teeth caused by inflammation and infection of the pulp. Given below are the three most commonly performed endodontic procedures.
What is Endodontic Dentistry?
- Root canal therapy – Root canal therapy is carried out when inflammation and/or infection below the tooth causes unbearable pain, sometimes an abscess, and threatens the existence of the tooth. The dentist creates a small opening in the crown of the tooth to reach the infected pulp; he scrapes away the pulp leaving behind the root canal which is cleaned and sealed. The final step is to place a crown on the tooth.
- Internal tooth bleaching – Internal tooth bleaching is carried out for those who wish to whiten their teeth after endodontic treatment. Teeth become devitalized and stained from the inside from blood and other fluids. A peroxide gel is placed in the cleaned root area and it whitens the teeth from inside.
- Endodontic retreatment – An endodontic retreatment is performed if after root canal therapy, the tooth has not healed as expected or if the pain continues. Endodontic retreatment can be necessary for various reasons, such as saliva contamination, complicated canals missed during the first treatment, crown placement was delayed, etc.
- Apicoectomy – Apicoectomy or root end surgery is carried out when a root canal treatment and subsequent endodontic retreatment fails to completely treat pulp infection and inflammation. The root tip along with the infected tissue is removed in an apicoectomy. An apicoectomy is carried out using an operating microscope and is also known as endodontic microsurgery.
Root Canal F.A.Q.
Why do I need a root canal?
A root canal is necessary when bacteria, fungi, or viruses infect the dental pulp that runs through the root canal system. If a root canal is not done to remove the infected tissue, the infection will spread and could result in abscesses (a painful pus-filled blister), extraction, infected bone or even septicemia that can affect the brain, heart, lungs, kidneys and liver.
Why do I need a root canal if I don’t feel any pain?
Just because there’s no pain doesn’t mean there isn’t a problem. The root canal infection process is progressive. It may start out as a small cavity or after filling placement where some infection was left behind after cleaning. The effect of the infection is cumulative and progressive. Your brain doesn’t even register that there is an infection until it’s progressed to a more advanced stage.
This is why regular checkups with Dr. Ben is important.
Is a root canal painful?
It is common for root canals to be used as the punch line of a joke usually to demonstrate how painful or tortuous the procedure is. Actually, with a properly skilled and trained dentist like Dr. Ben using modern anesthetics and techniques, root canals are virtually pain free.
With the implications of leaving an infected tooth root untreated and the virtually pain-free treatment option now available, don’t put off dental evaluation and treatment any longer. Call Dr. Ben today at (318) 869-2593 to book your assessment and root canal appointment.