Root canal treatment is a treatment method applied to repair and save a badly decayed or infected tooth, the name root canal treatment comes from cleaning the canals inside the tooth root. “Root canal” is a term used to describe the natural space in the center of the tooth. The dental nerve is located inside the root canal.
The dental nerve is not vital for dental health and function, its presence or absence does not affect the daily functioning of the tooth. Root canal treatment is a simple procedure that is often used to relieve toothache and save teeth. Patients typically need root canal treatment when there is inflammation or infection in the roots of a tooth. During root canal treatment, the dentist cleans and disinfects the root canals and places a filling to fill the resulting gap.
In Which Cases Should Root Canal Treatment Be Applied?
The dental nerve can be damaged due to deep decay, repeated procedures on a tooth, large fillings, a crack in the tooth or any trauma. When the nerve tissue of the tooth is damaged, it breaks down and the condition can cause bacteria to grow. Bacteria can cause infections or abscesses. Abscess occurs when the infection spreads to the ends of the tooth roots.
What Does Root Canal Treatment Involve?
Root canal treatment is applied by a dentist or endodontist. The endodontist is a dentist who specializes in the causes, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of dental nerve diseases and injuries.
The first step in root canal treatment is to take an x-ray to see the shape of the root canals and to determine if there are any signs of infection in the surrounding bone. Afterwards, local anesthesia will be applied to numb the area around the tooth.
Is Root Canal Treatment Painful?
Although root canal treatment was a painful procedure before advances in technology, thanks to dental advances and local anesthetics, most people today experience only a slight pain during treatment. Living with a decayed tooth is definitely more painful for a person. Most people report that the procedure is no more painful than a filling procedure.
Recovery Process After Root Canal Treatment
For a few days following the root canal treatment, especially if there is pain or infection in the tooth before the procedure, the person may feel sensitivity in the tooth due to natural tissue inflammation. This sensitivity or discomfort is usually controllable with pain medication. Most patients can return to their normal activities the next day.
It would be wise to reduce the pressure by minimizing chewing on the tooth until the healing process after root canal treatment is completed. This step will help prevent the inside of the tooth from becoming contaminated and will reduce the likelihood of any adverse event, such as fracture before the tooth heals completely.
How Successful Is Root Canal Treatment?
Canal treatment is a very successful and permanent procedure with a success rate of more than 95%. After the root canal treatment, the person can often use his teeth for life.
In addition, since the last step of the root canal treatment procedure is the application of filling, the procedure applied to the tooth is not visible from the outside.
What are the Alternatives of Root Canal Treatment?
Alternatives to root canal treatment include removing the damaged tooth and replacing it with a dental implant, bridge or prosthesis. However, it is always the best option when it is possible to save one’s own teeth. For this reason, root canal treatment is a frequently preferred treatment method.
What can I do?
Since some of the reasons why the dental nerve is inflamed and infected are due to deep decay, practices such as regular tooth brushing or flossing and following regular dental examinations after repeated procedures on the same tooth such as large fillings can help reduce the need for canal treatment. . In addition, it is possible to reduce the possibility of possible traumas caused by sports-related injuries by using a mouth guard.