Understanding the Process of Root Canal Treatment

Teeth can get damaged in many different ways in the course of one lifetime. The sole purpose of dentistry and the services offered thereof is to offer people a solution for the different issues they encounter with their teeth. A big part of this involves trying to save your natural teeth, to avoid the need for tooth replacement alternatives.

Dentists in 21042 work with procedures like root canals in Ellicott City to help restore the health of teeth without the need for replacing it. The procedure, however, will be much different from what you may have encountered before with other dental procedures.

What Is Root Canal Treatment?

It is a treatment offered in restorative dentistry that helps save a tooth after it has incurred damage. The focus is one saving the structure of the tooth, allowing it to function normally.

A root canal treatment is also termed as an endodontic procedure. It majors on the treatment of the internal parts of a tooth, to secure and protect the structure thereof.

What Does The Root Canal Treatment Entail? The stores involved in performing a root canal procedure differ, depending on the severity of the underlying oral problem you have. Still, the following steps cut across the different techniques:

1. Sedation – a root canal procedure is a relatively invasive treatment. You would need to be sedated and numbed in your mouth before the treatment begins. This way, you do not experience any pain during your treatment. Better yet, you remain calm and relaxed on the dentist’s chair throughout the treatment.
2. Drilling – it a step that helps open up the tooth. A hole is made through your enamel, to help gain access to the internal parts of your tooth, particularly the central region.
3. Cleaning of the pulp – the pulp chamber is the central part of a tooth, which houses nerve endings, blood vessels, and other soft tissues. It is the pulp that helps keep the tooth alive and sensitive. When your tooth is damaged, this is most likely the area of your tooth that compromises the health thereof. Through the drilled hole, an endodontist will clean out the content of the pulp, removing any traces of bacteria, infection, as well as damaged nerves and soft tissues.
4. Filling – the space created when the pulp contents are removed needs to be filled, to keep the tooth’s structure intact. They are usually filled with a substance called gutta-percha, following reshaping of the insides of the tooth. Besides, a dental filling is also needed to seal the enamel of the tooth to prevent future re-entry of bacteria. In some instances, a dental crown may need to be placed over the filled tooth, to hold the filling in place. This is particularly for those teeth that require large dental fillings.

In some other instances, the procedural steps of the endodontic procedure may not occur in the very steps mentioned above. When you have a complex case of tooth damage, your endodontist may need to temporarily extract your tooth, clean it out thoroughly, and then restore the tooth. This is necessary, especially where the infection has significantly damaged the roots of teeth.

How Long Does the Procedure Take?

Root canal treatment near you should last between 30 to 60 minutes for a single tooth. The endodontist will spend as much time as needed to complete your procedure. Sometimes a treatment can take up to 3 hours to complete. Any root canals therapy that lasts longer than an hour for a single tooth is for complex cases. Ideally, the type of problem you are treating will determine how long your treatment will last.

Knowing all that, you must be open to the idea that a root canal treatment may need two dental visits to be completed. A crucial point to note is that when a dental crown has to be placed, you have to wait for it to be readied, which can take a few weeks. Meanwhile, you get a temporary crown to cover your tooth before the next procedure.

Should You Get A Root Canal Treatment?

Gambling the health of your teeth is not worth it once you detect an infection. Ideally, the more time you leave your tooth untreated, the more advanced the problem becomes. Soon, you will no longer only have a toothache to worry about, but also a damaged tooth root and an abscessed tooth that needs medical attention.