Endodontics (Root Canal)

Root Canal Therapy

Sometimes, the only way to resolve an infection and relieve pain is through root canal treatment. It might sound scary, but root canals offer a significant long-term benefit. They represent the last chance of saving a tooth before thinking about its extraction, so all dentists will advise their patients at least to consider this treatment.

Root canals are the only treatment option for those teeth with long-standing decay. When a cavity isn’t treated on time, the infection keeps progressing until it affects the dental pulp. This inner soft tissue keeps the tooth alive and houses the nerves, so when the decay infects the pulp, it reacts, causing pain (the famous and dreaded toothache). In the long run, the infection can also reach the tip of the tooth’s root, creating an abscess on the side of the gums.

What is a root canal?

A “root canal” (also known as root canal therapy or endodontic treatment) is a dental procedure that eliminates the infected dental pulp from the inside of a tooth and replaces the removed tissue with gutta-percha, a biocompatible filling material.

The pulp is a soft tissue found in the very center of the tooth, extending down to every tooth root’s tip. It is housed in a central chamber and a few canals that run down each root, hence the term “root canal”. When the pulp is removed, the tooth is basically dead and has no more sensitivity, so it cannot hurt anymore.

To start this procedure, the dentist needs to create an opening on the top of the tooth called an “access hole”. Through this hole, he can reach the inner chamber of the tooth. He will use special instruments to remove the infected pulp from the chamber and the canals. Once the tissue is extirpated, the chamber and the canals are cleaned and filled, and the access hole is sealed off. In many cases, the tooth will then need a dental crown to be fully restored.

What is the alternative to having a root canal?

The only possible alternative to root canal therapy is having the tooth removed. As mentioned before, root canal treatment is usually the last option available to try to save a severely damaged tooth. Having said so, patients need to be aware that the root canal should be performed as soon as the dentist indicates it. If it isn’t done on time, the infection can spread to the surrounding bone, and there will be no option but to extract the tooth.