Gums and Teeth Laser and Implant Dental Center

Thursday, 12 November 2015

ROOT CANAL TREATMENT ;EXPLAINED.

Have your dentist informed you might need a root canal treatment?And are you going to have your first root canal treatment and you are quite nervous about that?Here,learn how root canal treatment is been done step by step.

Underneath the white enamel and hardest layer dentin of your teeth lies the PULP-The soft tissue that keeps the tooth alive having blood vessels and nerves.Once the decay or fracture approximates or touches the pulp portion ,usually the alarm rings-THE PAINNNNN !!!A tooth can be divided into crown- that portion of the tooth you can see above the gums and root - that portion of teeth that is beneath the gums and you cannot see.The pulp starts from middle of the crown and it stretches inside the canal running till the full length of the root. Once the decay/crack/fracture touches from the crown portion or elsewhere close to the canal... the entire pulp inside the canal get infected leading to its death.Thus root canal treatment(RCT) serves in removing the infected pulp,disinfecting the canal in the root where the pulp was in ,finally filling and sealing it.

SIGNS FOR RCT:

Pain
Prolonged sensitivity
Discolored tooth
Swelling
A cracked tooth
Fractured tooth

A deep cavity

STEP BY STEP ILLUSTRATION:

Step 1:Opening for access to root- Pre-op x-ray will be taken.A shot of local anesthesia will to given to make the tooth numb.An opening will made in the crown of the tooth to gain access to the infected pulp.

Opening for access
Step 2:Removing infected pulp- Specially designed small sized instruments are used to remove the infected pulp and to clean the canal.No pain will be there during this as the tooth is numb.Once the dead or dying pulp tissue containing nerves is removed, the tooth becomes pain free.The canal is shaped to receive filling.The canal are then and there irrigated with saline and disinfectant solutions.

Removing the infected pulp,cleaning and shaping the canals
Step 3:Filling the canal- Temporary filling may be placed for observation.Once complete cleaning and shaping done fillers (gutta-percha usually) are compressed into the canal and sealed off with heat.Sealing is done to ensure the canal area becomes free from contamination and infection.

Filling the canal
Step 4:Rebuilding the tooth-Temporary or permanent filling will be placed in the opening for access.Tooth will be rebuild to its actual shape.In case severe damage by decay or fracture the dentist may place a post extending from canal around which the tooth structure will be built.The entire procedure can be completed of in single sitting in about an hour.

Rebuilding the tooth
Step 5:Cap placement- The root canal treatment is completed with the tooth structure rebuilt.But a cap over the treated tooth is a MUST to completely seal off and for strength ,restoring normal tooth function such as effective chewing.The tooth is prepared for cap in the day of first sitting and cap can be cemented in 2-3 days.Antibiotics will be given.

After cap placement