Root canals are small canals inside teeth, containing nerves (sensation) and blood (nutrition). They form the dental pulp, which causes severe pain when it becomes infected, and requires a root canal treatment and, in some cases, the extraction of the entire tooth.
A root canal treatment is a procedure in which nerves and blood vessels are removed from inside the tooth, in order to clean out infected and inflamed tissues.
Treatment steps:
The procedures may be completed in one to three visits depending on the severity of the infection present and the number of the canals inside the tooth (range from one to four).
1. X-rays and oral examinations.
2. Area of procedure is first numbed with anesthesia.
3. Tooth is drilled all the way to the pulp chamber.
4. Length of the canals is measured with the aid of X-rays or Apex locator.
5. The content of the whole canal is removed and the canal is cleaned.
6. The empty clean canal is filled with root canal filling material.
7. The access cavity (the drilled hole through which the pulp was reached and removed) is then filled with permanent filling material and a crown (covering of the tooth) is placed.
Advantages:
• Little or no pain during the procedure.
• Eliminates the need to extract the tooth.
• Good success rate (85 to 90%).
Disadvantages:
• A few days of discomfort following the treatment.
