Root canal treatment is one of the most feared dental operations, and many people despise it. It’s important to note, however, that if performed correctly and thoroughly, it’s no more difficult or uncomfortable than any other dental operation. Many people wonder what root canal therapy is and why they require it. As a result, here is a step-by-step approach to root canal therapy.
So, what exactly is root canal therapy? When a tooth gets severely decaying and the nerve and root canal of a tooth become infected, root canal therapy is necessary. Medicating and cleaning an infected nerve or root canal of a tooth, then filling it with a root filling, is the treatment. If the nerves and blood vessels inside the tooth are not treated, they get badly infected, resulting in pus and abscesses. Following root canal therapy, your dentist may propose that you have a crown placed on the tooth to provide optimal long-term protection.
Why Do I Need Root Canal Treatment?
When you visit the dentist with a toothache and agony, your dentist may inform you that your tooth requires root canal therapy. Why? The goal of root canal therapy is to get rid of the bacterium inside the tooth and reduce the chances of reinfection in the future. Each phase of root canal treatment is conducted to guarantee that the danger of reinfection is as minimal as possible, despite the fact that it is a long and tiresome procedure. You’re also undoubtedly wondering about a root canal treatment cost if you need to have it. The cost of various treatments varies, as well as from province to province, but the range is between $500 and $6,000. Before we can truly comprehend what root canal therapy is and why we require it, we must first comprehend the many components that make up a tooth’s structure.
- Enamel – the hard covering that covers the top of a tooth. Enamel is extremely robust and dense, and it protects the pulp and dentin from the outside world.
- Dentine is the layer underneath the enamel that accounts for the bulk of the tooth structure.
- Pulp – the blood supply and nerve are located there, and the pulp is located in the center or interior of the tooth.
Bacteria can enter the root canal & cause a nerve infection if a rotting or damaged tooth is not treated. When a tooth requires root canal therapy, bacteria from tooth decay have penetrated so far into the tooth that the blood supply and nerves in the root canal have been affected. In the pulp, there is a bacterial infection.
What Is A Procedure?
The process of conducting and concluding root canal treatment on a tooth is divided into three parts. Root canal therapy is a highly comprehensive and time-consuming procedure, but each step is completed to guarantee that the danger of reinfection is minimal and that the patients receive the best clinical outcomes possible.
The first stage is extirpation. A clamp and rubber dam are placed. To remove nerves, manage infection, and medication the tooth, small files are used to clean the root canal for the first time. Depending on the intricacy of the tooth, it might take anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes. The following step is instrumentation, which involves a thorough cleaning of the root canal to ensure that germs are kept at bay and that the tooth is pain-free. It may take 30-60 minutes. When the tooth is entirely pain-free, obturation is conducted. To finish the root canal treatment, the root canals are sealed with a specific gutta-percha substance, and it also takes 30-60 minutes.
What Happens If I Don’t Treat The Tooth?
One of the consequences of not treating the tooth will be severe pain and suffering. If the nerves and blood vessels inside the tooth are not treated, they get badly infected, resulting in pus and abscesses. An abscess is a swelling filled with pus that develops at the end of the root canal as a result of infection. The abscess might be severe enough to produce swelling in the neck, eye, or face. You may need to go to the hospital right away in these cases. The bone loss all-around the roots of the tooth is another issue that might arise if the tooth is not treated.
What Happens After Treatment?
There is no actual evidence that root canal treatment has any negative side effects. It’s crucial to understand that your nerve is no longer within your tooth following root canal treatment, so you won’t have any hot or cold sensitivity from that tooth. As a result, when you bite down on the tooth after root canal treatment, it might feel strange and unusual. The tooth will have a distinctive sensation. Some patients have compared it to having a dead or numb leg or arm, where you can feel it but it’s dull and strange.
People who are frightened sometimes lack understanding about this treatment; knowledge empowers them to grasp what will happen and to overcome their worries. We hope that this guide helps allay any fears you may have. Root canal therapy relieves pain rather than causing it, and it saves teeth.
