Root canal treatment – endodontics
Endodontics – root canal treatment – consists in cleaning the root canals and the chamber of a tooth from a diseased pulp that has become irreversibly inflamed due to a long untreated or unsuccessfully treated caries. It allows you to keep even heavily damaged teeth without necessity of their extraction (pulling out) and reduces the risk of developing serious infections that can be dangerous to the entire body of a patient. It is possible thanks to advanced technologies and very precise tools that a dentist uses.
How does tooth inflammation arise?
Inflammation occurs when microbes that cause inflammation enter the pulp – it is usually manifested by a very strong and sharp pain, and the infection can spread to the bone and cause the pulp to die completely. However, it is worth knowing that in the event of dead pulp and tissue breakdown, the patient may not experience pain for some time.
Preparation for treatment
Root canal treatment can be performed under local anesthesia or general anesthesia, for which it is necessary to provide the patient with up-to-date general examinations and qualifying for anesthesia by an anesthesiologist.
However, each case of treatment requires an initial visit during which the doctor talks to the patient about his general health and asks to be informed of any allergies. Then, he takes a radiological image, thanks to which it is possible to evaluate the root canals (size, shape) and the environment of the tooth.
Endodontics in stages
Etapy leczenia
The first stage of endodontic treatment is to open the canal entrance and cover it the tooth with a cofferdam – a special rubber that protects the tooth from bacteria present in saliva and chemicals used to clean the canal. Then the doctor, using tools made of nickel and titanium alloys, cleans and processes diseased tissue, removing bacteria from the infected pulp and the surrounding dentin.
Precise cleaning of the tooth is possible thanks to specialized microscopic equipment, thanks to which the specialist obtains an accurate picture of the lesions. Advanced technology allows performing even the most complicated treatment on narrow and winding canals.
Then, after thorough disinfection and drying of the tooth, free spaces in the canals are filled by the so-called biocompatible material – most often gutta-percha. It is a non-toxic natural substance (polymer), obtained in a manner similar to a natural rubber extraction, which does not affects the body’s immune system. Its use is guaranteed by a hermetic closing the root and preventing it from re-entering of bacterias to the root.
In Medical Clinic Podhale, root canal treatment is performed using the most modern equipment, which allows the doctor to clean and heal a sick tooth thoroughly. Thanks to precise tools, modern technologies and many years of experience we treat even the most difficult cases.