What is endodontic treatment? When is endodontic treatment necessary?
Endodontic treatment is a solution that uses specialized technology in dentistry to save damaged teeth. So, which cases need endodontic treatment? Discover right in the article!
The term endodontic treatment is not too strange in the current oral care and consultation process. This is an effective solution to “rescue” a tooth with pulpitis, tooth decay, trauma, …
Each tooth that develops in the arch has a nervous system, connective tissue, and blood vessels (called the pulp). This system helps to transmit sensations from the outside, nourishing the new teeth. However, like many other parts of the body, the tooth pulp can also be damaged and invaded by many factors. For example, trauma (due to heat, mechanics, etc.), invading bacteria (due to periodontitis, tooth decay, etc.) makes the pulp of the tooth no longer healthy. At this time, the tooth needs to be treated with endodontic treatment.
So what exactly is endodontic treatment? Invite readers to explore the information surrounding this method in the content below.
1. Endodontic treatment
As mentioned above, the pulp is considered as the “living resin” of the tooth. It is located in the root canals (pulp canals), which is an extremely important component to help nourish new teeth that are in the process of development. Under the white enamel layer of the teeth is dentin, going deep into this layer of dentin there is a layer of soft tissue which is the tooth pulp.
The pulp also helps the tooth to sense when the tooth is exposed to cold/hot foods or trauma. If the tooth pulp is damaged, the tooth is also not healthy, the pulp is “dead”, then it is considered that the tooth is also “dead”.
Diseases related to the pulp will make you extremely uncomfortable, endangering your teeth. At this point, you need to intervene with endodontic treatment, also known as root canal treatment. This is a dental solution to help treat problems and diseases of the tooth pulp.
Specifically, the dentist will remove all the inflamed, damaged pulp inside and clean the tooth. After that, the dentist will seal the canal to prevent bacteria from re-entering, eliminate the infection completely and best preserve the remaining tooth tissue. Once the tooth has matured, the pulp can be safely removed from the canal and pulp chamber while keeping the tooth intact. Therefore, you can rest assured that your real teeth will remain intact.
However, what specifically is considered a pulp disease and requires endodontic intervention? Please read to find the answer in the next content!
2. Which cases need endodontic treatment?
Dead or damaged tooth pulp can cause you to experience sensitivity, toothache, pain, tartar on the tooth surface causing an unpleasant odor. More dangerously, when teeth begin to weaken, the alveolar bone will show signs of destruction, causing teeth to fall out.
It can be seen that this condition will affect your oral health, aesthetics, chewing function and daily activities. Usually, the following cases will be indicated for root canal treatment:
- Your teeth are broken or cracked.
- You have an injury that has lost half of the tooth tissue and affected the pulp.
- Your teeth are in constant pain because the pulp chamber is damaged.
- The tooth is infected around the apex or necrotic.
- Gums with white pus cause unpleasant odors, tooth abscesses.
- You have a tooth decay that goes deep into the pulp causing an infection.
- If your teeth are painful often for no apparent reason, the cause may also be due to a problem with the pulp.
When experiencing the above symptoms, you should immediately go to the dental office for a timely examination and advice on solutions to handle the tooth pulp.
3. Endodontic treatment process
You should go to reputable dental facilities to be examined and accurately diagnosed by an experienced and professional dentist. Here, you will be consulted and conduct endodontic treatment with professional protocols and procedures.
3.1. Dentist examines and takes pictures to diagnose tooth condition
Customers who come to the dental center will be examined by a doctor, preliminary diagnosis of tooth condition through actual symptoms. At the same time, the doctors also take pictures to check the general condition of the teeth accurately.
If the tooth pulp is found to have a problem, requiring endodontic intervention, the dentist will take a film of the diseased tooth area. Based on the film, the dentist will accurately assess the extent of the damage and inform the customer with a detailed treatment plan.
At this point, you will know how your oral health is, what is the treatment plan, the cost and specific time. If you agree to the solution prescribed by your dentist, the treatment will begin.
3.2. Anesthesia and marrow collection
Anesthesia is used to avoid pain and create comfort for both the client and the dentist during root canal treatment. However, not everyone needs anesthesia for treatment. In case the tooth is no longer feeling, the tooth pulp has been dead for a long time, there is no need for anesthesia.
You should also note that you must tell your dentist if you are allergic to local anesthetics or have diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.
3.3. Dentist installs rubber dam
In this step, the dentist will place a rubber base so that it fits tightly to the area of the tooth that needs to be extracted. This is a rectangular piece of rubber that helps insulate the inflamed tooth from the saliva. Its purpose is to keep the environment in the area of the tooth to be treated dry and clean. At the same time, the rubber dam also helps to ensure safety during root canal treatment, avoiding discomfort for customers by the smell of canal irrigation.
3.4. Root canal opening with specialized drill
After placing the rubber dam, the dentist will use a specialized drill in dentistry to open the way into the canal. This step is extremely important, the canal must also be wide enough for the pulp to be cleaned and easy to fill.
3.5. The dentist cleans and shapes the canal
After the pulp is completely removed, the dentist will use specialized equipment to clean the canal and oral cavity. The instrument used to clean the root canal is either a mechanical file or a hand file. They will help to completely remove the remaining pulp, bacteria, etc.
At the same time, the canal will also be shaped to make cleaning and sealing the canal in the next step more convenient. The dentist will combine several irrigation pumps to clean the canal for the best.
The dentist will use an apex locator or film to measure the root length to ensure a complete cleaning of the root canal system. Accordingly, the canal must be cleaned and shaped to the correct length of the root. This helps to ensure that pulp tissue and bacteria are completely removed, leaving no residue in the canal.
3.6. Root canal filling
The dentist will check and re-evaluate to make sure the customer is no longer painful, the tooth is no longer infected… If everything is up to the standard, the dentist will seal the canal. This is the use of root canal sealants, tools, and dental cement to seal the root canal system. This step is to protect the teeth and prevent bacteria from entering.
Finally, the doctor will take a check-up film to make sure the filling is perfect. Teeth can be reconstructed pulp, crown after performing endodontics. However, this depends on the condition of the teeth, the assessment of the dentist and the needs of the customer.
When patients have problems related to increased pulp that affect health and life, endodontic intervention is necessary. This solution will help preserve real teeth, eliminate discomfort caused by dental pulp disease. In addition, you should have regular dental check-ups to better protect your teeth. At the same time, this will help detect diseases of teeth and pulp in time for timely treatment, definitively avoiding affecting health and living.