Root Canal Treatment

Root Canal Treatment is a procedure which is administered to heal and save a tooth that is seriously infected or decayed. During the treatment, pulp and tooth nerve are extracted, inside of tooth is cleaned and canal is filled with filling materials.

Starting root canal treatment earlier is important for saving the tooth. Untreated decays may cause pulp infection. Dental enamel and dentine lose substance all the way through to root canal and bacteria caused by cavity incur pulp infection.

If an aching tooth is neglected for a long time, both infection extends to surrounding tissues and the tooth is lost. Today, teeth can be saved through root canal treatment without tooth extraction. On the condition that the tooth is crowned or filled with a tooth colored composite filling, the tooth can prevail a lifetime. However, the teeth which received root canal treatment are more fragile than natural teeth.

The Reasons for the Administration of Root Canal Treatment

Root canal treatment is administered due to

• The physical irritation caused by cavity, the infection or necrosis in dental nerves caused by present bacteria
• The damage on teeth or jaw
• Advanced gingival diseases
• Fillings and dentures which were designed highly and their occlusions which were not properly arranged
• Misapplied orthodontic treatments

How Is It Noticed That a Tooth Needs Root Canal Treatment?

• Acute sensitivity in the tooth
• Pain without a stimulus especially in the night
• Pain during eating
• Discoloration in the tooth as a result of nerve dying
• Swelling on the face caused by dental abscess

In some other cases, it can be only noticed with dental and radiological examinations as it has no symptoms.

How Long Is Root Canal Treatment?

The treatment may last for a few sessions. While it can be done in just one session in some cases, it may last longer for abscessed and inflammatory teeth as they require medical dressing. Duration of the treatment depends on the situation of the tooth.

Are Root Canal Filling and Dental Filling the Same?

Root Canal Filling is the process of cleansing and filling of root canal while dental filling is the restoration of crown part which can be seen in the mouth with composite filling, inley, onley or crowning.

About What You Must Be Careful During Root Canal Treatment

Do not use your teeth for chewing hard food between two sessions. Your tooth may fracture as it has temporary filling on it. You may have a complaint of pain between sessions, see your dentist for medical dressing. There might be swelling on the face between sessions. It is nothing to worry about, it is a reaction caused by microorganisms and it can be dealt with dressing. Consult your dentist.

Will You Suffer from Toothache During and After the Treatment?

The patient feels no pain during the treatment because of anesthesia. After the treatment, there might be a slight pain and sensitivity in the tooth while chewing especially. It is not inconvenient to use anti-inflammatory drugs during the days following the treatment.

What’s the Retreatment of Root Canal?

The success rate of properly applied root canal treatments is really high. We can talk about the failure of root canal treatment in the case of uncleaned dental nerves, the leakage of microorganisms into root canal when both root canal and dental fillings are insufficient and the occurrence of perforations and fractures during the treatment. In some cases, an infection may develop in root apex as a result of teeth grinding and malocclusion in addition to these situations.

Ache in teeth while eating, spontaneous pain, swelling in root apex and rash are the symptoms of an unsuccessful root canal treatment. The treatment is repeated in this case. If this appliance falls short, root apex is reached with apicoectomy and the infection is removed. If the retreatment and surgical operation cannot solve the problem, tooth extraction might be an option.