CATEGORIES

Root Canal

Root Canal Therapy

(ENDODONTICS) NORMAL TOOTH

CROWN:

This is the part of the tooth that is visible above the gumline. The crown is normally covered by enamel and meets the root at an important landmark called the cemento-enamel junction (CEJ). The CEJ is anatomically the neck of the tooth and is not normally visible.

ROOT:

This part of the tooth attaches the bone below the gum. The root of tooth is actually twice as long as the crown, the part that is visible above the gumline.

BONE:

The roots of your teeth are anchored by bone. Healthy teeth stimulate and keep bone tissue healthy.

PERIODONTAL LIGAMENT:

This holds the root of a tooth in the bone. The bone around a tooth root is called alveolar bone. Like all ligaments, it's made of tough fibrous connective tissue that surrounds the root and is about a quarter to a tenth of a millimeter thick. It can be seen on dental x-rays as a black line surrounding the root. Abnormally widening is a sign of overloading and trauma from tooth grinding or a biting irregularity.

GUM:

In dentistry gum is called "gingiva." It is the area around the root of a tooth. The gingiva is the tough, insoluble protein mucosa (a type of membrane) that surrounds the teeth. It forms a band around each tooth that ranges in width from1 to 9 mm. The gingiva is attached in part to the cementum of the tooth and in part to the alveolar bone. The gingiva is composed of mucosa that is designed for chewing.

TOOTH AND ROOT CANAL THERAPY:

The tooth is not a solid object, but rather has a space in its center. Teeth have two basic parts, a root to anchor the tooth to the jaw and a crown above the gum line. The root is covered with a hard material called cementum. At the center of each tooth is an area with nerves, arteries and veins called the dental pulp.

Humans have four different types of teeth, each with a different function:

• Incisors for cutting off bites of food.
• Cuspids (sometimes called canines because of their long sharp points) for tearing food.
• Bicuspids (with two points) to tear and crush food.
• Molars with large relatively flat surfaces to crush and grind food.

The tissue partially nourishes the tooth from the inside. Because of deep decay, injury, or gum disease, the tissue in your tooth has become inflammed or infected (diseased). Because the soft tissue within the tooth is totally encased within hard tissue, the body cannot get to it in order to affect repair. Therefore, it is the role of the dentist to do what the body is unable to do. He must remove the soft tissue located in the internal spaces (canals), cleanse the area, and finally fill the canals with a special material so that bacteria cannot re-enter the tooth to cause another infection. When the endodontic treatment is complete, the tooth is by no means "dead". It receives quite adequate support from the surrounding tissues and may be expected to last as long as any other natural tooth.

Root canal treatment becomes necessary when the pulp inside your tooth gets infected. The pulp is the soft tissue inside your tooth, home to connective tissues, blood vessels and nerves. The pulp goes from the crown of your tooth to the tip of the root in your jawbone. Normally, the tooth itself protects the pulp, but if the tooth is damaged by a very deep cavity, or a crack, or trauma from repeated repairs, bacteria can reach the pulp. Then the bacteria grow from the crown towards the root, pus accumulates at the root tips, and the mouth becomes painful and sensitive to hot and cold. Not all pulp infections bring pain; sometimes they spread so slowly that the patient feels nothing.

You could say that the purpose of root canal treatment is to create an end result where the tissues surrounding a tooth's root will maintain a healthy status despite the fact that the tooth's nerve has undergone degenerative changes. Specifically, we mean that the tissues surrounding a tooth's root are not affected by bacterial infection and/or irritating substances leaking from those inner aspects of the tooth originally occupied by the tooth's nerve tissue.

Commonly known symptoms of Endodontic Disease: Endodontic disease can manifest itself with a wide variety and combination of symptoms. Common symptoms of endodontic disease include:

• Lingering tooth sensitivity to cold liquids.
• Lingering tooth sensitivity to hot liquids.
• Tooth sensitivity to sweets.
• Tooth pain to biting pressure.
• Tooth pain that is referred from a tooth to another area, such as the neck, temple, or the ear.
• Spontaneous toothache, such as that experienced while reading a magazine, watching television, etc.
• Constant or intermittent tooth pain.
• Severe tooth pain.
• Throbbing tooth pain.
• Tooth pain that may occur in response to atmospheric pressure changes, such as when flying or scuba diving.
• Tooth pain that may occur in response to postural changes, such as when going from a standing to a reclining position.
• Tooth Swelling.

If you have any of these symptoms, it would be wise to see your dentist because you might have root canal disease or another dental problem. Some of these symptoms may also be attributable to decay, defective fillings, periodontal diseases, cracked teeth, or other tooth or bite-related problems. On other occasions, the symptoms may even be caused by disorders that are not related to the teeth.

STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP4 After the tooth is anesthetized, an opening is made through the crown into the pulp chamber, and then your root canal is cleaned and shaped. The length of the root canals is determined and is filled with dental material such as Gutta-percha and maybe covered with a temporary filling. Unhealthy pulp is removed. Canals are cleaned, enlarged and shaped. A post supports your tooth or to retain the restorative materials The tooth is sealed with a temporary filling. Usually a crown adds further protection to it after the treatment

Will I feel pain during or after the procedure? Many endodontic procedures are performed to relieve the pain of toothaches caused by pulp inflammation or infection. For the first few days after treatment, your tooth may feel sensitive, especially if there was pain or infection before the procedure. This discomfort can be relieved with over-the-counter or prescription medications. Follow your Endodontists instructions carefully.

With modern techniques and anesthetics, most patients report that they are comfortable during the procedure. Your tooth may continue to feel slightly different from your other teeth for some time after your endodontic treatment is completed. However, if you have severe pain or pressure or pain that lasts more than a few days, call your Endodontist.

Functions of a tooth's nerve tissue: You might think that a tooth's nerve tissue is vitally important to a tooth's health and function, but in reality it's not. A tooth's nerve tissue plays an important role in the growth and development of the tooth, but once the tooth has erupted through the gums and has finished maturing the nerve's only function is sensory (it provides the tooth with the ability to feel hot and cold).

LASER ENDODONTICS (Root Canal Treatment)

The laser-assisted root canal is an important departure from how endodontic therapy is normally approached. This method combines classic instrumentation of the canal with the anti-microbial and bio-stimulating effects of the laser. Laser is super coherent light, meaning it is a highly focused monochromatic light that produces thermal and photo effects on microscopic microorganisms that have no protection from this type of light. It is the equivalent of receiving the full rays of the sun without the protection of the many layers of atmosphere that surround the earth. Light is a penetrating modality, meaning that it can pass through layers of skin, tissue and bone because of its reflection and refraction. In regards to the normal day-to-day functioning of our mouths, the sensory information provided by a single tooth is really quite minimal. Dentists realize that on a practical level it is pretty much academic whether a tooth has a live nerve in it or not. It's wonderful if a tooth's nerve tissue is present and healthy. But if a tooth has had its nerve tissue removed during root canal treatment that's fine too, you will never miss it.