Root canal therapy is the procedure involving removal of diseased pulp tissues, cleaning and filling the root canals with special dental tools and materials to keep the tooth in function without pain.
Teeth are composed of the outer layers of hard structures (enamel and dentin) and the inner soft, living nerve tissue and blood vessels (pulp). Bacteria can go into the pulp through deep decay, tooth fracture, biting trauma, or gum disease. If it is the case, you usually feel pain and may require a root canal procedure to be done.
Local anesthesia
Rubber Dam Application
A rubber sheet is put onto the diseased tooth to isolate it from salivary contamination.
Open chamber
Cleaning and shaping
Root Canal Filling
Q4: How many dental visits will a course of root canal therapy need?
Front teeth (incisors, canines)
Back teeth (premolars, molars)
A full treatment course for one back tooth such as a molar may take four to five visits because molars have more root canals than incisors or canines.
During the treatment, repeated x-ray examinations will be required. Dentists basically depend on x-rays to identify the presence of lesions, measure the tooth length, and examine the structure of root canals. Since the radiation dose is low, please don’t worry about the radiation-related side effects.
The symptom caused by an infected pulp varies. Some may feel pain, whereas some are asymptomatic. Asymptomatic cases may become chronic, unpredictable infections which can progress into terrible infections anytime.
The tooth usually requires a prosthetic crown (a metal/ceramic cap) to rebuild the tooth’s shape and protect the tooth from further breaking down. When the decay is large, an additional metal pin which is called “post” will be put into the root canal to hold the crown.
Without the prosthetic crown, the color of tooth will gradually turn dark after root canal therapy. For front teeth, it looks bad when smiling. The treated tooth is also prone to breaking down. For back teeth, fracture may happen because of the fragile tooth structure. A proper final dental prosthesis is important to salvage the tooth successfully.
The dental operating microscope provides enhanced lighting and visibility. It is particularly useful in identifying tooth cracks, finding calcified and additional canals, removing posts (metal pins) and broken instruments, and repairing perforations and performing periapical surgery.
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