Tooth filling - Root canal treatment
Root canal treatment is a dental process that replaces a tooth’s damaged or infected pulp with a filling. The pulp consists of specialised dental cells, blood vessels, tissue fibres and some nerve fibres located in the hollow space in the central part of the tooth. The procedure is also known as endodontic treatment.
Success rates for endodontic treatment are generally good. About 90 to 95 per cent of patients who undergo root canal treatment can expect a functional tooth after the treatment. The treated tooth should last a very long time, provided that you maintain good oral hygiene and generally look after your teeth. Of course, no therapy or replacement will last as well as a healthy tooth.
Symptoms of damage
A diseased tooth pulp may cause inflammation or infection. The symptoms of a damaged or diseased tooth pulp may include:
•Sensitivity to hot and cold drinks and foods
•Pain when biting or chewing
•Loosening of the tooth
•Swelling of the gum near the affected tooth
•Oozing of pus surrounding the affected tooth
•Facial swelling.
Sometimes, tooth pulp may become damaged or diseased without presenting any symptoms. In these cases, the problem is usually diagnosed by special tests or x-rays during a dental check-up or treatment for other dental concerns.
A range of causes There are many events that can lead to disease or damage to dental pulp. Some of these include:
•Deep-seated and untreated dental decay
•Decay beneath a deep filling
•Trauma that damages a tooth
•Habitual tooth grinding (bruxism)
•Advanced gum disease.
Generally, the typical root canal treatment includes:
•The procedure is usually performed using local anaesthetic. If the pulp is infected, anaesthesia may not always be necessary because the tooth no longer has any feeling.
•The affected tooth is wrapped in thin rubber (called a ‘rubber dam’) to enable suitable disinfection of the root canals.
•The decayed portions of the tooth and any affected filling are removed.
•The pulp or pulp remnants are extracted.
•The dentist uses a special drill and small instruments to thoroughly clean and shape the root canals and to remove bacteria, pus and debris. The root canals may need to be shaped or hollowed out to ensure a smooth interior surface.
•The interior of the tooth is flushed with disinfectants and then dried.
•If the root canal is not infection free, it may be medicated and the tooth sealed with a temporary filling material. You may have to wait a few weeks, or even months, before the pulp canal is filled. If the dentist feels bacteria are still present at your next appointment,
the cleaning procedure may be repeated and the tooth once again packed with medication.
This stage will continue until the dentist feels the tooth is free from bacteria.
•The infection-free root canal is then sealed with long-lasting barrier materials (the root filling), usually a rubber-based material called ‘gutta-percha’.
•The tooth then undergoes restoration and the biting surfaces need protection – an artificial biting surface for the tooth is fashioned out of regular filling material.
•In many cases, where there is considerable loss of the tooth structure, there may be a need for an artificial crown made from porcelain or gold alloy or other materials.
Things to remember
•Root canal treatment is a dental procedure to replace a tooth’s damaged or infected pulp with a filling.
•The vast majority of people who undergo root canal treatment can expect a functional tooth after the treatment.
•The treated tooth should last as long as the other teeth, provided the tooth is kept clean and that you maintain excellent oral hygiene.
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