Root
Canal Therapy
Root
Canal Therapy is necessary when there is severe damage
to the pulp within the tooth. An untreated cavity
is the most common cause of this infection. Other
causes include trauma, irritation by large fillings,
or gum disease.
Root Canal treatment is generally completed in one
or two visits. The pulp tissue is accessed by a small
hole made in the top of the tooth. The diseased pulp
is removed and the empty canals are disinfected and
sealed. A crown or permanent filling will be required
to complete the process.
A root canal on a tooth is necessary if there is damage
to the nerves inside the roots due to trauma, deep
cavities, irritation by large fillings, or gum disease.
Root canal or endodontic treatment is a procedure
to save a tooth that otherwise might require extraction.
Root canal is necessary when the pulp which is made
up of blood vessels and nerves inside the tooth becomes
inflamed or infected. The inflammation or infection
can have a variety of causes but is usually due to:
deep decay, trauma, repeated dental procedure on the
tooth, or a crack in the tooth. The root canal procedure
removes the inflamed or infected pulp by cleaning
and shaping the inside of the tooth, then sealing
the space so that bacteria cannot live there. Pain
and infection will clear very shortly after the procedure
is done.
Root Canal Retreatment
Root canal retreatment is a procedure done on a tooth
that already has root canal previously but has failed
to heal. Failure of the previous root canal can be
from various causes including : complicated canal
anatomy that went undetected in the first root canal,
placement of the crown or other restorations was delayed
following the first root canal, new decay that expose
the root canal filling material to bacteria, or a
cracked or broken crown or filling that expose the
tooth to new infection. The procedure involves re-cleaning
and re-shaping the root canals. Microscope will also
be used to carefully examine the inside of the tooth
for any additional canals or unusual anatomy that
require treatment. The root canals are again seal
with new materials.
Apicoectomy (Endodontic
Surgery)
Apicoectomy or root-end resection is a surgical procedure
done on a tooth that has persistent inflammation or
infection in the bony area around the end of the tooth
after root canal procedure. This persistent inflammation
or infection may be due to: complicated canal anatomy,
calcium deposits (calcification) making canals too
narrow for the cleaning and shaping instruments, formation
of a cyst at the end of the root, or damaged root
surface. To fix the problem, the endodontist opens
up the gum tissue near the tooth to see the underlying
bone and to remove any inflamed or infected tissue.
The very end of the root is also removed, a small
filling is placed to seal the end of the root canal,
and a few stitches are placed in the gum to help the
tissue heal properly. The tissue and bone around the
end of the root will heal over a period of a few months.
The endodontist will generally check it at 6 months
and one year to make sure everything healed completely.
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