Does the root canal treatment hurts?
Let’s begin from here because THAT IS what the majority of patients think. Not anymore! This is the correct answer. This is a stereotype that no longer corresponds to reality and is due to the experiences of patients in earlier stages of dentistry, when the treatment tools available were not sufficient. Recent research shows that patients who have experienced a root canal are much more likely to describe it as a painless process than patients who have never had this experience before. The patient does not feel any discomfort during the treatment and that is not a luxury but an imperative necessity. Thus, nowadays, special attention is paid to a very careful local anesthesia, as a result of which the area is deeply numbed and the patient does not feel anything at all.Why do I need endodontic treatment (root canal treatment)?
Endodontic treatment is necessary when the tooth cannot be healed. Antibiotics and painkillers do not cure, but are used to calm the symptoms (pain, swelling, etc.). By avoiding the endodontic treatment, you simply allow the infection to spread, the bone around the tooth begins to degenerate, and you likely lose the tooth. In most cases the pain worsens day by day until the patient reaches the point of needing immediate dental care. At this stage, the only alternative is the extraction of the tooth. The resulting gap then creates new problems, as it will result in the surrounding teeth becoming crooked. Although extraction may seem like a cheap solution, the gap that will be left requires the placement of an implant or bridge, which will cost much more than endodontic treatment. When you have the choice, it is always better to keep your natural teeth. Studies show that the success of endodontic treatments, when they are done according to the necessary rules, exceeds 90%.What is an endodontic treatment?
Endodontic treatment involves cleaning the infected pulp of the tooth and shaping the root canal. The tube is filled with gutta-percha, a flexible rubber-like material, to prevent reinfection of the tooth. The tooth is then permanently sealed or built up with an abutment and covered with a porcelain crown. This allows patients to keep their own teeth.What does an endodontic treatment involve?
First, local anesthesia is carefully administered to numb the area. An elastic membrane is then placed around the tooth to isolate it. The latter is a fundamentally important stage, since it ensures that our work will be carried out under aseptic conditions. We thus proceed in disinfecting the inside of the tooth. An opening is then created into the pulp chamber, then it is cleaned and shaped. Finally, the endodontist will fill the pulp chamber and tube(s) with the elastic material of gutta-percha or some other material to prevent re-infection of the area. The tooth can be temporarily sealed to prevent infection. If a large portion of tooth’s substance has been lost, a metal post may be placed. Finally, a porcelain crown is usually placed over the tooth to strengthen its structure and improve its appearance.What happens after the treatment?
Tissue inflammation may cause discomfort for a few days, which can be controlled with simple pain killers. Monitoring of tissue healing is done through a repeat examination. It is good on the endodontically treated side to brush your teeth frequently using dental floss, avoid chewing hard foods with the endodontically treated tooth until you visit your dentist for the final restoration of the tooth.Does root canal treatment take too long to finish?
No, that's not the case. It is usually completed in 1-2 visits. An Endodontist is a specialist dentist who has received 2-3 years of further training after the Dentistry degree and has specialized in performing root canal treatments in a specific way. The root canal success rate is over 90%. On the other hand, when the treatment is performed by a general dentist, the success rate decreases.Why does a denervation fail?
As in all medical procedures, the probability of success in endodontic treatment is not 100%. The reasons may vary, the roots of the tooth may have had a great inclination and thus could not be cleaned easily, the previous treatment may not have been carried out appropriately, a crown may not have been placed immediately after the previous treatment, caries may have reappeared on the tooth, the tooth may have cracked, etc. But in all these cases bacteria survived and/or re-entered the tooth and after some time caused pain and/or swelling. Only in rare cases, even when an endodontic treatment is completed according to all the rules and basic principles of modern Endodontics, we can have symptoms that persist, mainly due to the presence of bacteria in areas inside the tooth that are impossible to approach conservatively. In such cases, an apicectomy may be needed on the tooth to surgically remove the inflammation.