Root Canal Therapy (Endodontic)
» What is a root canal therapy ?
It is the most common dental procedure but needs a very high precision with most modern technology and instruments. This procedure is the only way to save the natural chewing with your damaged teeth, to any extent, provided the roots are firm in the sockets. Though you may need crowns for extensively damaged teeth but this is the only alternative to surgical implants for natural chewing. At the centre of your tooth in tiny bony canals there are blood vessels and nerve endings called pulp. Pulp is needed for a vital tooth’s repair & growth. Due to tooth decay or traumatic damage the pulp gets exposed and become v. painful to touch & temperature. If the exposed or at times without exposure the pulp is infected it is v. painful even without touch.
» What is the procedure ?
RVG technique of taking X-ray in a Radiation Proof X-ray Room
This is the procedure where you get instant relief from your severe tooth pain without removing your tooth. In fact the surgeon makes a fine access to the pulp, lying in tiny bony canals of the painful tooth under local block anesthesia by high precision microsurgery instruments. Then the painful pulp is removed and the tooth in all practical senses become non vital and painless. Next depending on the amount of infection of the removed pulp your no. of visits are planned. On every visit your root canals are irrigated with chemicals for disinfection and some medicine may need to be given orally.
Once the tooth becomes completely non tender on examination,the obturation & filling is done, the surgeon invariably advises you to have a crown over the treated tooth, for restoration of the non-vital brittle tooth. The success rate of Root canal therapy is 90% .In case of failure the tooth has to be extracted.
The life of a successfully treated tooth protected with crown is about 10 to 15 years. In between there could be infections of surrounding tissue due to poor oral hygiene causing pain & concern but that can be easily treated.
