Root Canal – FAQs

A root canal is typically suggested for a number of dental problems. The main reason for choosing the procedure is extensive damage to the tooth which requires the pulp removed. Some scenarios that may call for a root canal include;

· Presence of a deep cavity that has reached the nerves and pulp thus cannot be filled.
· An extensively cracked tooth

· Injury to the tooth
· After repeated, unsuccessful fillings

· If the tooth has a deep crack

· Infection of the tooth that has affected the nerves

The bottom part of the tooth- below the gum,-may develop a cavity due to injury or decay. These cavities quickly fill up with food residue from the mouth and bacteria. The symptoms of this infection are sometimes outright and sometimes you may not notice them until the problem is discovered on a routine check. You are better off if the symptoms to your tooth infection are not so pronounced because severe symptoms often indicate the presence of an abscess even though this will only happen if the condition has been neglected and allowed to deteriorate.

Your dentist has the final say on what type of procedure you have, but there are symptoms that indicate you might need a certain treatment, it is typical for any health issue. When it comes to root canals some of the common symptoms include;

· Severe pain or a dull ache
· Heightened sensitivity to hot or cold food and drink which lingers
· Discomfort that disrupts sleep at night
·Pain when biting or chewing with the affected tooth

It is prudent to set up an appointment with your dentist to have the affected tooth checked. This is important since foregoing a root canal or ignoring the need for one can lead to tooth loss. An infection of the pulp usually spreads through the tooth if ignored, which may eventually lead to an abscess. An abscess is a swollen part of the gum area which is inflamed and filled withpus. The most likely result is that the tooth would need to be taken out when the infection reaches this stage.

A root canal is usually the procedure you undergo when you want to relieve pain and save yourself from losing a tooth. The hard crown of the tooth covers a softer region consisting of soft tissues blood, nerves, blood vessels and connective tissue.
This softer part is called the pulp. The pulp can be infected or inflamed causing searing pain and discomfort. In the early stages of infection, the person experiences some pain indicating that there is a problem developing. As the infection progresses, the affected tooth may turn black on top indicating that the nerve tissue is dying or dead already.

It is worth noting that pain is not the sole indicator for a root canal. There are patients who have needed the procedure in some cases without experiencing any pain.

The procedure is considered routine and your local dental clinic can easily do it. However, you may also be referred to an endodontist who is more qualified for such procedures.

Can any dentist perform a root canal?
The procedure is performed by an endodontist. This is primarily a dentist, but with advanced study after dental school. An endodontist has 2 more years of study post dental school and has therefore acquired all the qualifications and expertise to handle such procedures.

If you have never had a root canal before, it is okay to be apprehensive about the procedure. However, there is nothing to worry about. Even though popular opinion is that root canals are painful, they actually relieve pain!

The procedure begins with the endodontist checking your medical history and familiarizing themselves with your medical past. Once everything is in order and the procedure can carry on, the endodontist will begin with some anesthesia to numb the region.

Step 1

A local anesthesia is administered via an injection to numb the region to be treated. The endodontist may require stronger anesthesia than is normal in cases where the tooth is extensively inflamed. Even so, the procedure cannot start until the anesthesia takes effect.

Step 2

A Thin sheet of rubber known as a dental dam is placed over the affected teeth and adjacent ones. This leaves the tooth to be operated on while protruding through a hole made on the dental dam , which isolates it from the surrounding teeth. This step allows for the procedure to remain sterile and stops any saliva and bacteria from causing infection as the affected tooth is operated on.

Step 3

The endodontist proceeds to make a hole on the chewing surface of the affected through which pulp of the affected tooth can be reached. This hole can either be drilled from the top of the tooth or from behind one of the front tooth to allow access to the pulp chamber.

Step 4
Specially designed instruments are used to clean out the pulp chamber and root canals. This part of the procedure causes no pain since the area is put under anesthesia and the tissue being removed is dying or already dead. Once the infected tissue is removed, the tooth can no longer cause pain.

Step 5

After the root canal is cleaned and all the problematic tissue is taken out, it is now time to disinfect. The canal is disinfected using antibacterial and antiseptic solutions.

Step 6

The canal scan now be shaped to make room for sealers and root canal fillings. Tiny flexible instruments are used to shape the canal after which the area is cleaned again so as to remove any debris that may be left behind before sealing the area.

Step 7

The prepared canals are filled with suitable root canal fillings. This is normally done using a rubber-like material known as gutta-percha. The material is thermoplastic. During this part of the procedure, the material is heated and compressed against the walls of the root canal thus sealing them. The gutta-percha together with dental cement, also known as sealer, fills the space at the root canal completely. This is a very important part of the process that makes the procedure last long. It prevents the spaces from being infected a second time after the dead tissue is removed.

Step 8

A filling material, which may be temporary or permanent, is used to seal the access hole.
It is at this point that the dental dam is removed too. In cases where the tooth lacks a proper structure to offer support for a restoration, the endodontist may place a metal or plastic post for support. The post is placed inside one of the canals where it is firm and can hold the filling.

Step 9

An antibiotic is usually prescribed when the procedure is done so as to prevent further infection during the restoration period. The recovery period is usually smooth sailing as long as you adhere to the doctor’s instructions. A small period of discomfort may last for about 48 hours, but everything slowly begins to return to normal after.

Step 10

There storation done immediately after the procedure is not permanent and you will need permanent restoration to cover up lost teeth structure and act as a complete seal at the top of the tooth. At this point, the endodontist refers you to a general dentist who will advise you on the right type of restoration. This part of the procedure will ensure you don’t get any more infections related to the procedure. It also prevents the buildup of bacteria which cause a recurrence of the problem.

Contrary to what most people believe, a root canal is not painful. As a matter of fact, the procedure is no more painful than going for a filling. There are advanced aesthetic and hi-tech equipment which makes the process hassle-free for both the dentist and the patient.

Endodontists are well versed in pain management and the process usually takes a single visit to complete. Patients who have had the procedure done have reported being comfortable during the entire process.

While there are times when a second consultation is needed, the first time usually takes care of everything. Such a procedure does not take a long time to perform and runs for an hour to two hours;it is the type of treatment that can be done within one visit.

In most cases, the discomfort experienced after a procedure is felt during the first 48 hours or less and then subsides. The increased sensitivity to hot or cold substances and breathing in is usually gone by the next morning. However, there may be mild discomfort for some days after the procedure. This can be countered by over-the-counter analgesics such as naproxen better known as Aleve,
ibuprofen-commonly known as Motrin or Advil, or aspirin also known as Excedrin.

One of the most common complaints from patients who have undergone the procedure is tenderness to tapping, bite, touch or chewing. You can avoid these by avoiding using the tooth until the restoration is complete.

Losing atooth is not very common in modern dentistry. It is viewed as the last resort.
The main reason a dentist would be reluctant to just pull out a tooth is the potential for degeneration that it presents for the remaining teeth. The adjacent teeth are usually affected by a missing tooth such that they may as well need to be pulled out in the future. Perfectly normal teeth may also be misaligned when the gap is present as they try to realign.

Even though the process does not always mean that you have to lose a tooth, it may become necessary to pull out the tooth when the damage is extensive and there is nothing that can be done to save it. This is usually a scenario where the patient is seeking medical assistance too late and the infection has been allowed to continue for a while. However, you can be confident that the dentist will try to preserve your tooth in any way possible.

It is tough to say that you would have a dead tooth once the procedure is done because there are different aspects to consider about functionality of the tooth. Essentially, the tooth is dead once infection kills nerves in the root area. The nerve and pulp tissue that is removed from the tooth stems from the fact that they can no longer function like before. Taking out this tissue from anadult’s tooth does not affect functionality in any way. The patient’s dental health and strength is preserved.

A root canal cannot be performed on developing tooth as found in infants, babies and teenagers. We need the nerve tissue to spur growth. In adults, however, the tissue does not make any difference and serves only as a pain receptor. It is the part of the tooth that triggers an alert when there are dental issues.
However, when you get to the point where you need a root canal to relieve a dental problem, you most probably don’t want the painful alerts anymore. Even though the nerve tissue will be removed, this will not influence the functionality of the tooth at all.

The dental field and medicine as a whole has advanced a lot. Today, dentists use x-ray machines that cut down your exposure to radioactive rays by 90%. This is in relation to the already low levels of exposure on a typical x-ray machine. The new system, which is computerized, is known as digital radiography. It is the new standard when it comes to dental x-rays.

Root canals are not as expensive or invasive as tooth extractions, which are the other option patients usually go for. It will also cost you less than a bridge or an implant. The cost of the procedure usually depends on the patient’s dental insurance cover since not all dental clinics offer the same prices for services provided. Patients who do not have such coverage can also benefit from payment plans offered by clinics.

One of them is conceptions floated out there is that a root canal will cause some sort of physical problem to the rest of the body. The theory is unfounded and lacks any scientific backing. It is just something people tell themselves to get away from visiting the dental clinic.

The idea that there are bacteria in the mouth that could affect other parts of the body has been debunked and there are lots of friendly bacteria to back this up. The only version of this theory that may work is one that applies to injury in every other part of the body. If a condition is left untreated, whether affecting the arm, leg, elbow, or any other part of the body, it is bound to raise complications to other areas of the system. However, this is something that you can talk over with your dentist if you need any reassurance about the safety of any dental procedure.

In any dental treatment, saving your teeth should be the first concern. Once the natural teeth are gone, nothing can match up perfectly. There is the thought of skipping some foods due to unstable artificial teeth. Aside from this, you also have to think of the cost.

Besides the cost of each procedure, it is worth noting that extractions come with other complications such as biting problems, drifting of teeth and TMJ discomfort. This can also lead to the treatment of otherwise perfectly fine teeth.

Your endodontist will also advise you on the appropriate method of restoration which is often a more cost-effective and simple procedure. In this case, a root canal is your best option unless the damage is too extensive to recover the affected tooth. Aside from this, a root canal also provides a permanent solution that benefits the patient for a lifetime.

According to studies conducted about the success rate of a root canal, 90-95% of the time the procedure turns out just fine. This is a very high success rate which means you have nothing to worry about in terms of future complications.

Even so,there are scenarios where a follow up procedure may be needed. In the rare occasion that an opportunistic or virulent bacteria is left behind, or tracks down the root canal from another infected tooth, infection may arise again. In this case, the treatment may have to be done (which has a lower success rate of 60-65%). This can also be caused by a crack in the tooth, which allows bacteria in. If a crack causes recurrent complications, it may have to be extracted.

Teeth often require a root canal when they have had multiple fillings in the past.
The procedure also requires a hole to be drilled through the tooth to reach the pulp cavity. This causes loss of the tooth structure.

There will be need for a crown that covers the entire biting surface in cases where the tooth structure has been lost extensively. This can be determined by measuring your bite force, which varies considerably between patients. Crowning is done even when other types of restoration can be done in cases where the dentist seeks to protect your teeth from cracking or fracturing.

Modern techniques have done away with a lot of factors that used to affect dental health in the past. One of them was the darkening of the affected tooth after a root canal is done. Thanks to modern dentistry, this can be prevented.
Discolouration can be removed using a variety of treatments which will restore the natural appearance.

People who have undergone one dental procedure or the other are generally advised to step up their dental care and ensure they take proper care of their teeth. There is nothing more you are required to do other than have to be more keen about your dental health. Taking care of root-treated teeth is done in the same fashion as with normal teeth. The patient just has to remember to clean their teeth twice a day and floss regularly. Cutting down on foods with sugar, especially the processed type, is also advisable. These should only be taken at meal times as much as possible.

Seeing your dentist regularly is also important when you have had any type of complication before. This is not to say that people without dental problems can ease up on dental checkups. Such sessions usually take a very short time and can identify problems before they develop and become more serious because then, they would need more specialized treatment then and cost more too.

People who have undergone one dental procedure or the other are generally advised to step up their dental care and ensure they take proper care of their teeth. There is nothing more you are required to do other than have to be more keen about your dental health. Taking care of root-treated teeth is done in the same fashion as with normal teeth. The patient just has to remember to clean their teeth twice a day and floss regularly. Cutting down on foods with sugar, especially the processed type, is also advisable. These should only be taken at meal times as much as possible.

Seeing your dentist regularly is also important when you have had any type of complication before. This is not to say that people without dental problems can ease up on dental checkups. Such sessions usually take a very short time and can identify problems before they develop and become more serious because then, they would need more specialized treatment then and cost more too.