Root canal treatment is misunderstood by many people, maybe due to misconceptions that have circulated about this dental procedure. What people fail to realize, however, is the importance of availing of such service. There may come a time wherein you get into unavoidable situations that would involve damages or cavities that would form on your teeth. During these times, a dental specialist may advise different treatments that may help avoid removing your permanent teeth.
In this article, you will learn about the processes during root canal treatment. In addition, you will get to know some of the myths or misconceptions that have circulated about root canal treatment.
The Root Canal System
Before discussing the treatment procedure, you should first understand what the root canal system is. A root canal system includes the space inside the dental roots of the tooth. It consists of the central area and lateral parts.
- The central area is composed of canals with a round, oval, or irregular cross-sectional shape.
- The lateral part can be composed of accessory canals, fins, or anastomoses.
Inside the root canal, it is filled with a soft connective tissue called the dental pulp. The dental pulp is crucial in the formation of a permanent tooth. It also helps in hydrating and nourishing the whole tooth structure.
Signs Showing Problems Have Manifested Inside the Root Canal
When bacteria have entered your mouth, they may affect the teeth by causing them to decay. As tooth cavities form because of the decay, the bacteria may penetrate the teeth through these cavities. A root canal treatment is needed whenever the dental pulp gets infected by bacteria. At the same time, the affected tooth can still be saved from extraction. You may feel or see some signs that would mean that you must see your dentist because the situation of your teeth might lead to a root canal treatment.
One of the more unmistakable signs that your dental pulp has gone bad is when your teeth suddenly become overly sensitive in hot or cold temperatures. Another sign that you should see your dentist is when you have a toothache that lingers for more than a few days, especially when there seems to be a change of pain intensity whenever you try to change your posture. The infected dental pulp may cause your gum tissues to swell. Also, there is a huge possibility that tooth abscess would be formed and may give your breath a foul smell.
What Happens During the Root Canal Treatment
Suppose a dentist diagnoses that you would need root canal treatment to save your tooth. The dentist would also assess the damage. If it is too severe, you may be referred to an endodontist. Otherwise, it would be a simple enough procedure for a general dentist. An endodontist is a highly skilled specialist focused on treatments and healing of the dental pulp. A root canal treatment aims to clean up the dental pulps from the bacteria that have infected them.
Endodontists would do some treatments because many accessory canals are tiny and hard to locate. Even though a root canal treatment has a high success rate, there are still situations where the treatment can fail. Such cases may be due to some canal branches being undetected as bacteria continue to infect and cause decays, cracks in the root, or hindrances that make it difficult to properly clean the tooth’s root. For a simple root canal procedure, you can refer to the following steps that a general dentist will do:
- Application of Anesthesia
- The dentist applies numbing medication to the gum where the affected tooth is located.
- Anesthesia will then be injected into the gums.
- Patients are kept awake during the treatment, but the anesthesia will ensure that pain is not felt during the procedure.
- Pulp Removal
- The dentist uses a drill to bore a small opening on top of the tooth to access the infected pulp.
- An endodontic file is used to remove the pulp carefully.
- Cleaning of the Canals
- The dentist will clean the pulp chamber and the root canal using an antibacterial solution.
- This step is carefully done since the target is to fully clean all areas so that the problem will not come back.
- The dentist may also coat the canals with topical antibiotics to prevent the area from getting infected in the future.
- Filling and Sealing the Pulp Chamber
- After the area has been prepared and shaped, the area will be filled with a rubber-like material called gutta-percha.
- The dentist will then seal the area with a sealer paste or adhesive cement.
- Temporary Filling
- The dentist will apply a temporary material to protect the canals from saliva penetration.
- A schedule is set for replacing the temporary filling with a permanent one.
- This is the last step during the first visit.
- Permanent Filling
- The dentist will first take an x-ray to check if the infection is clearly gone on the next visit.
- The temporary filling will then be replaced with a permanent one.
- Placement of a crown (Optional)
This step will depend on the patient’s decision if he would like to put a crown over the recently treated tooth.
After the procedure, a dentist will usually prescribe medications to help deal with the pain that may come up once the numbing medicine has eventually disappeared. Oral antibiotics will also help the customer after the procedure has finished. A dentist can schedule another visit to check if the problem has not returned.
Misconceptions About Root Canal Treatment
Looking at how a regular root canal treatment procedure is done, you can clearly see that there should be nothing that would worry during treatment. What you should be worried about is the idea of losing your teeth because you avoided getting a root canal treatment. The following list shows you some of these myths and misconceptions about root canal treatment:
The Procedure Hurts
- This is the most common reason why most people opt not to undergo a root canal procedure.
- People fail to understand that the treatment method used in the past was the reason why the procedure would hurt.
- With the advancements in the dental industry, a dentist has learned newer techniques to make the treatment process safe and painless.
A Tooth Extraction Is Better
- Patients have to remember that losing their permanent teeth is a significant loss for both functional and aesthetic reasons.
- Root canal treatment was developed to help avoid this from happening.
The Roots of the Tooth Are Removed
- Contrary to this belief, it is the dental pulp that is removed.
- The root is left in its original placement.
Makes You More Susceptible to Disease
- This is simply not true.
- There has been no proven evidence that would show that people become sicklier after undergoing a root canal treatment. If the treatment process could clean the pulp chamber thoroughly and adequately seal the canals, then there is little to no chance for the problem to reoccur on the same tooth.
Root Canal Treatment is a Safe Way to Save Your Teeth
Maintaining good dental hygiene should always be considered as you do your daily routines. For those who are afraid to incur cavities caused by bacteria, then make sure to keep your teeth clean as much as possible. Root canal treatments will not be necessary if damages to your teeth have not reached the area where the dental pulp can be found.
However, suppose you are put into an unfortunate situation in which the dental pulp has already been affected. In that case, you should not be scared to have a root canal treatment procedure. It should not be something to be scared of. Remember that it is safe as long as you consider having the procedure done in a reputable dental clinic. It would help if you always put a high priority on keeping as many of your permanent teeth as possible. Whenever your permanent tooth is removed, it will be a hassle to cope with the changes in your mouth. Losing a tooth means you would also lose some of the functionality of your mouth.
By availing of any of the different dental services offered by Osmin Denture Clinic & Premier Dental Health & Facial Esthetic Center Inc., you will be assured that their professionals will be competent enough to give you an excellent experience. You can contact us at 647-294-3310.