All That You Need to Know About Root Canal Treatment (Part 3)
We now continue with our discussion of the topic “Root Canal” by discussing information that can help ordinary people understand how the tooth works.
Let us start with the composition of the tooth.
The tooth is composed primarily of roots and the crown. The crown is mainly the part of the tooth which is found above the gumline. On the other hand, the tooth root is the part of the tooth that is below the gumline. and linked to the jawbone itself. The root canal is found inside this tooth, situated between the crown and the root.
Now, what is inside the root canal?
Inside the root canal, we can find the pulp.
The pulp is the one providing nourishment to the tooth. It also provides the surrounding area some nutrients and moisture. The pulp has nerves responsible for making the tooth sense some pain and temperature.
Some people would say that having a root canal procedure can be a painful experience. We can’t deny the fact that this procedure can be painful considering the fact that it involves the removal of nerves.
However, the advancement in dentistry has made the root canal procedure less painful and more acceptable.
Let us now discuss the root canal procedure or endodontic therapy.
Endodontic therapy is usually completed in a session, but there are times that the therapy will be only completed after 3 sessions. The number of sessions before the treatment will be completed depends on the severity of the infection and also on the decision of the patient himself/herself.
The dentist, before the root canal, will ask the patient to take some antibiotics in order to bring the swelling of the infection in the tooth down. Usually, antibiotics are taken a week before the root canal operation.
The dentist will remove everything organic in the root canal during the operation. Of course, the operation will be less painful because the patient will be under local anesthesia or even general anesthesia, especially when the dentist needs to drill a hole into the enamel in order to remove the diseased pulp using tiny files.
Once cleanup is done, the dentist then shapes and cleans the empty area with a solution and small dental files.
A rubbery material will be used to fill the now empty root canal and to seal it completely. This is done in order to reinforce the remnants of the tooth.
At this point, the tooth is already dead, and one could no longer feel any pain from a dead tooth. The reason for this is because the nerves inside the tooth have been removed, thus there is no more way to feel the pain.
We will continue our discussion next week by concluding our series on root canal procedure and how it works to keep your oral health in top shape.