Root canal treatment: treating pulpitis and dental abscesses
Root canal treatment, also called endodontic treatment, cleans out the pulp chamber and root canals of a diseased tooth. These parts are at the centre of the tooth and contain the pulp, the living tissue such as blood vessels and nerves. Sometimes these structures are attacked by bacteria, causing a painful inflammation called pulpitis. This usually happens when a cavity has worsened and the bacteria behind it have made their way to the centre of the tooth. Pulpitis sometimes develops after dental trauma that damaged the inner structures of the tooth or caused a break that let microbes in. A dental abscess develops when the pulp tissue dies and the bacterial infection invades the pulp chamber and root canals, reaching the alveolar bone.
A treatment of last resort
This kind of situation must be brought under control with a root canal treatment so that the tooth can stay in place without causing other problems. Root canal treatment stops the pain of such an infection and prevents it from spreading to neighbouring tissues and teeth. The procedure has a few steps and takes 60 to 90 minutes on average. In most cases, one treatment is enough to clear the infection, but a second appointment is sometimes needed to finish cleaning the root canal.
A procedure in a few steps
Local anesthesia
The procedure can then be done without pain.
Placing a dental dam
This keeps saliva and bacteria out of the treated area.
Removing the pulp
To do so, the dentist opens the tooth with high-precision instruments.
Cleaning the root canal and its branches
All remaining bacterial deposits and residue are removed before the canal is filled with a natural resin called gutta-percha.
Closing the opening
Depending on how damaged and how strong the tooth is, a filling, an inlay or a crown is used.
Root canal treatment: not as painful as people say
Root canal treatment is often seen as painful. This perception is wrong. Since the procedure is done under local anesthesia, it hurts no more than a filling. If it does, the anesthetic is not working properly. Otherwise, the pain people associate with root canal treatment is actually caused by the original infection.