Root Canal Treatment

           What Is a Root Canal Treatment? How is it done ?

  Root canal Procedures--  Click the picture below to see the procedure [Video]

                                                                           

                                                Damage can happen at any time to your teeth. Simple day-to-day activities can lead to accidents, playing sports, and failure to maintain daily oral care can all lead to chipped, cracked, or decayed teeth that will need repair by your dentist if not spotted early on. Learning about the causes of damaged teeth, the signs and symptoms of spotting a root canal, and how to prevent needing a root canal can not only help you to maintain your oral hygiene, but also save you time and money in the long run.

What is a Root Canal?

There are two basic parts that make up each tooth- the crown and the root. The crown is the part that sits above the gum line and is visible when you smile or open your mouth. The root of your tooth lies below the gum line and contains your tooth's nerves. Each root is surrounded by soft tissue commonly known as the pulp, which provides the nourishment your tooth needs to remain healthy. In the event that the root or pulp become infected or decayed, a root canal can be performed to help to prevent the tooth from occurring further damage. During a the procedure, the root and pulp of the tooth are removed, the inside of the tooth is cleaned out, and then it is sealed for protection.

What Damages the Tooth in the First Place?

Several things can damage our teeth on a day-to-day basis. Repeated dental procedures on your teeth, a cracked or chip tooth, oral trauma, and the most common- tooth decay can all affect the health of our teeth. When a tooth becomes damaged or decayed, infection begins to form and can cause tenderness and pain. If infection is not spotted early on nor taken care of, then a root canal may be necessary along the way to help preserve the remaining tooth.
What Are the Signs That a Root Canal is needed?
Though at times, symptoms may not be present, signs of needing a root canal include:

• Discoloration/ darkening of a tooth
• Swelling or tenderness in the gums surrounding the tooth
• Formation of pimples on the surrounding gums
• Sensitivity or pain to hot or cold temperatures
• Severe toothache when chewing or any form of pressure is applied

If you are currently experiencing any of the above, contact your dentist immediately for a dental exam.

How Do I Prevent Needing a Root Canal?

Since a large portion of root canals are performed due to repeated dental care and tooth decay, maintaining proper oral hygiene is necessary for healthy teeth. Brushing your teeth twice daily, flossing before you brush, and visiting your dentist on a regular basis for routine check ups will help to prevent infection or tooth decay from occurring. If you play sports, wearing a mouth guard can help prevent chips, cracks, and oral trauma from occurring.
Root canals are a treatment of choice. Preserving your natural teeth is always the better solution and the least cost. Prevention is easy when proper oral care is maintained daily by brushing and flossing. If you start to notice any signs of damage, pain, or swelling, always contact your dentist for a dental exam and additional dental advice.

Root Canal Procedure - Step By Step Guide

                                             When the dentist informs you that you need to have a root canal procedure, it is possible that you may not be aware of what this procedure entails. It is quite common and is usually preformed in order to save a tooth that is in jeopardy and may have to be extracted. If the tooth is in the front of the mouth, this can mar the smile and perhaps mean that the patient has to have a false tooth implanted or placed on a plate.

The process of carrying a root canal procedure is performed in the dentist's office, but you will need to make more than one visit. In severe cases, the dentist may refer you to a specialist for the procedure. A specialist of this kind is called an endodontist and usually deals with procedures that are particularly difficult. Whichever dentist performs the work, you will receive a local anesthetic to make sure that you do not experience any pain while the work is being done on your tooth.
You may dread hearing that you need a root canal procedure because you fear that it is very painful. However, the procedure is not painful at all and will give you relief from the pain you had been experiencing before you visited the dentist. It will be uncomfortable, of course, with having to keep your mouth open and having saliva suctioned out of your mouth.

In the majority of cases, root canal is essential to save a tooth in which an infection has caused irreparable damage to the nerve. The pulp of the tooth may also be seriously affected. Once the dentist carries out an oral examination, he/she will take X-rays of the teeth to determine how deeply the tooth has been damaged. He will also check to see how far the infection has developed and if it has actually gone into the bone. The X-Ray will also reveal the shape of the root that the dentist will be working on.

Once the nerve of the tooth has become damaged the tooth will eventually become more and more decayed because the nerve is unable to supply it with the essential elements it needs to stay healthy. During the procedure, the dentist has to remove the damaged nerve and the pulp of the tooth. The damaged pulp is the breeding ground for bacteria from the remnants of food in your mouth and anything you may breathe in from the air. This growth of bacteria can lead to even more problems with your gums and teeth.

Once the dentist is satisfied that the area is numb and that you do not have any feeling in the tooth, he will isolate it by placing a rubber band around it. Then the dentist will use a drill to make a hole in your tooth and then proceed to use small files to clean out the pulp of the tooth and any debris that may have collected. At regular intervals, the dentist will flush out your mouth with water to wash away the debris.

A thorough cleaning of the tooth is then followed by making sure it is sealed. This part of the procedure is not done at this time, if the problem is the result of infection. The dentist has to make sure that all the infection is completely cleared up. To do this, he/she may inject antibiotics into the affected area and there is a good chance that the patient will have to take antibiotics for a period of time before returning to have the next part of the root canal.

If there is no sign of infection, the sealing may be done in the same visit. This involves filling in the area of the tooth that has been cleaned out. When there is an infection present, the dentist will use a temporary filling that can easily be removed on the next visit.

The last step in the root canal procedure is to repair the exterior of the tooth. The hole drilled in the process and then filled has to be covered up and made to look like your own tooth. Subsequent visits will involve having tooth restoration carried out in the form of a crown to protect the tooth from further damage.