Root Canal treatment

Every tooth consists of a pulp chamber and a root canal system which may be present inside the roots. These root canal system consists of the nerves and blood vessels that supply the tooth altogether is known as the pulp. Hence any breakage in the tooth which leads to the exposure of the pulp will cause severe pain and sensitivity.

This can happen due to deep caries, tooth fracture due to trauma and even erosion.In these cases a root canal treatment is indicated to relieve the pain and save the tooth.

A root canal treatment or an endodontic therapy includes the removal of the infected pulp, disinfecting the pulp chamber of the tooth and the root canal system, then cleaning and shaping them to fill them up with a root canal filling material ( gutta percha) till the tip of the root.

Procedure:

1. At first the tooth has to be anaesthetized.

2. The decay is removed and a hole is drilled till pulp chamber.

3. Some files or small instruments are then used to clean up and disinfect the pulp chamber and the root canal space till the tip of the root.

4. The root canals are then filled with filling material (or) gutta percha coated with a medicated sealant.

REASONS FOR A ROOT CANAL FAILURE:

When the patient delays in fixing his crown after the root canal treatment, there are chances for the tooth to crack and lead to pain.

When the root canal pattern is complicated by curvatures, calcification ,accessory canals etc.

Unknown factors, long standing infection, root resorption etc can sometimes lead to a failure.

When the root is not cleaned and disinfected properly till the tip of the root.

Earlier a root canal treatment required more than 3 or 4 appointments and used to be painful and even the success rate was less. But now, it is possible to complete a root canal treatment in just one appointment without much pain and obviously with a better success rate. This is mainly due to the innovative techniques ,modern rotary equipments and skill of the dentist.