What is a Root Canal Treatment?
Root canal treatment or simply called root canal is a common term for endodontic therapy.
Root canal therapy is a frequently performed dental procedure to treat a tooth with infected or dead pulp tissue, caused by tooth decay.
Root canal treatment involves the removal of the infected pulp tissues and nerve of the tooth, the cleaning and shaping of the pulp chamber
and root canals, and finally the filling and sealing of the tooth.
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Tooth infections can spread to other parts of the body, causing serious and sometimes life threatening complications.
Until some decades ago, it was not rare for someone to die because of a tooth infection.
Later, before the development of modern dental procedures, extraction was the only way to treat an infected tooth.
Today, root canal treatment provides an effective way to treat the infection and save an infected or/and abscessed tooth.
Root Canal is a procedure that saves many teeth that would otherwise have to be extracted, and allows us to keep our natural teeth for many more years.
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What are root canals / dental pulp?
The pulp is a soft tissue located at the inner tooth under the protective layers of the tooth enamel and dentin.
It contains connective tissue, nerves and blood vessels that nourish the tooth. The main part of the pulp is found in the pulp chamber at the center of the tooth.
Learn more details about Tooth anatomy - Parts of a tooth
The nerves enter the tooth form the tips of the root and make their way to the center through hollow channels in the roots called root canals.
Normally a tooth has as many root canals as the number of roots, varying from one to four depending on the type of tooth.
Why – When Do You Need Root Canal Therapy?
The common reason for root canal therapy is an infected or abscessed tooth.
Conditions that may lead to the need for root canal treatment can be untreated tooth decay, periodontal disease, trauma, fractured tooth or even repeated dental restorative procedures.
Any condition that allows bacteria to reach to the pulp of the tooth may be responsible for a root canal.
If the dental pulp is infected by bacteria and inflamed, besides the strong pain induced, the bacteria may get through the root canals
to the area around the tips of the roots (periapical area), creating a tooth abscess.
Root canal treatment is necessary in order to save the tooth by removing the infected or damaged pulp, treating the infection, and sealing the tooth.
The cost of root canal treatment may be high and sometimes unexpected complications make it even higher but it is the only way to save an infected tooth.
Learn more details about the Cost of Root Canal Treatment
Sometimes a root canal may be needed even if there is no infection or inflammation of the pulp or nerve.
This could happen in teeth that have suffered significant structural damage, and they can not support a crown or other prosthetic work.
In these cases the pulp has to be removed, to allow the placement of a metal post inside the pulp area that could support the crown.
Symptoms of needing a Root Canal Treatment
A root canal treatment is needed in cases of tooth infections.
So, root canal symptoms are similar with the symptoms of conditions that could be the cause or result of a tooth infection, such as severe tooth decay or a tooth abscess.
The most common of the root canal symptoms is pain and discomfort. The pain could be:
A severe constant tooth pain
A tooth that hurts significantly on touch / pressure or when biting or chewing.
However, a tooth might need root canal therapy even in the absence of pain.
This can happen in the early stages of a tooth infection before it affects the nerve.
In later phases, it is also possible that the tooth’s nerve is so much damaged by the infection that the sensation of pain is lost. Even without pain, the infection must be treated before it can spread and damage the jawbone and the periodontal tissues.
Learn more details about tooth infections and tooth abscess
Besides pain, other symptoms and signs of needing a root canal include:
Prolonged tooth sensitivity to heat, cold or pressure.
Swelling and tenderness of the gums near the affected tooth
Tooth discoloration (darkening of only one tooth’s color)
A chipped or broken tooth
A persistent or recurring pimple on the gums
If you have any of the symptoms of needing a root canal visit your dentist as soon as possible.
Early treatment may save you from a lot of pain, higher treatment costs and increase the possibilities of saving a badly infected tooth.
Who Performs a Root Canal? - Dentist or Endodontist?
Once the symptoms of needing a root canal treatment are diagnosed by a general dentist, the dentist will either perform the treatment or refer the patient to an endodontist.
An endodontist is a dentist who has an additional 2 years advanced specialty training in the therapy of diseases of the dental pulp and performing root canal treatments.
The decision of which type of dentist is preferable for each case, usually depends on the complexity and difficulty of the treatment.
If the general dentist after the initial x-rays suspects that the level of the infection, the structure of the specific tooth or
other factor will probably cause complications, will usually recommend that the root canal treatment should be performed by an endodontist.
An endodontist has the advanced training, experience and special tech equipment to handle difficult cases successfully.
The endodontist will perform only the root canal procedure and when finished he/she will send the patient back to the general dentist for the final restoration of the tooth with a filling or crown.
You must know that some treatments are not always covered by dental insurance plans.
Learn how to check the terms and choose a dental insurance plan that will provide the best coverage for you and your family.
Related dental problems and treatments:
How long does root canal treatment take?
Usually, a root canal therapy involves one to three appointments.
There are several factors that can have an effect on the length of the treatment:
Degree/spread of infection and how fast it is eliminated are the main reasons that a root canal treatment may take more appointments than expected.
Type of infected tooth / number of tooth roots. It is much faster to treat an incisor with just one root than a molar that could have up to 4 or even 5 root canals (that have to be cleaned, shaped and filled)
Position of the tooth. A third molar in the back of the mouth is harder to handle and it is normal to take some more time.
Anatomy of the tooth / shape of the root canals. Some teeth may have many and curved root canals that are difficult to locate and treat
Degree of calcification of the root canals
Modern technology has helped root canals to be done painlessly, faster, and more accurately.
An uncomplicated root canal treatment in a tooth with minor infection often can be completed in one visit.
In most of the cases the dentist will clean the tooth during the initial visit and then he will seal the tooth in a next appointment.
However, it is much better to be safe and wait for a couple of appointments until your dentist is sure that there is no more infection than end up with a failed root canal or other complications.
Once the root canal treatment is finished, you will need to see your general dentist to have the tooth restored with a crown or filling.
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