What is Root Canal Treatment?

Severe toothache due to a deep root infection makes it extremely difficult to participate in daily life. But you don't have to have your tooth extracted: You can get rid of your pain with root treatment, also known as root canal treatment.

What is Root Canal Treatment?

Root canal treatment, also root canal treatment, is a method of dental treatment to purify dead or inflamed teeth and thus prevent tooth extraction.

Why is Root Canal Treatment Necessary?

Inside the tooth is nerve tissue containing blood vessels and various cells. This tissue, called the endodontic or dental pulp, can become infected and eventually die. This causes a very painful inflammation that can even damage the jawbone. If you want to save the diseased tooth, there is one last option: removal of the inflamed tooth nerve with root canal treatment.

How Is The Tooth Inflamed?

This disease of the dental nerve is often caused by tooth decay. If a tooth develops progressive caries, the pulp reacts to this stimulus. First, the endodont tries to encapsulate itself and creates an additional dentin barrier. But at some point this irritation causes an inflammation called pulpitis. In the worst case, this can lead to the death of the dental nerve.

In addition to the main cause of dental caries, this irritation and endodontic disease can be caused by trauma, pronounced periodontitis or severe teeth grinding.

Symptoms of Dental Nerve Inflammation or Tooth Root Inflammation

Most people first notice the "classic" toothache caused by deep tooth decay. True inflammation initially causes discomfort on contact with sweet, cold or hot foods.

Then the diseased tooth becomes sensitive to impact and pressure. The pain is often throbbing and can cause cold-like symptoms. If the pulp of the tooth is dead, this becomes noticeable by the enormous bite pain and swelling around the tooth.

In rare cases, this entire process is completely symptomless. The dentist only recognizes the disease in the already damaged jawbone on the x-ray image.

Purpose of Root Canal Treatment

The purpose of root canal treatment is to remove all the soft tissue inside the tooth up to the root tips.

How painful is root canal treatment?

Root canal treatments are known by most patients as a treatment method that causes severe pain. But thanks to modern technology and gadgets, this is no longer the case.

The area can be numbed with a local anesthetic, so you don't have to worry.

Modern root canal treatment no longer causes pain.

Only in very rare exceptional cases, heavily infected tissue inhibits the effect of anesthesia. However, in such cases, your dentist may first prescribe an antibiotic and only then perform the root canal treatment.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of root canal treatment?

Advantages: Natural teeth instead of dentures

• The patient's own tooth remains in the tooth
• You avoid a surgical procedure: removal of the tooth
• Exclusion of the consequences of a dental cavity: displacement and "growth" of adjacent teeth and deterioration of the jawbone are prevented
• Expensive and complex prostheses do not need to be manufactured

Disadvantages: Possible risks and complications

• The treated tooth may become infected again after the end of the root canal treatment.
• This re-infection depends on several factors: molars or anterior teeth, the technique chosen, the meticulousness of the practitioner, oral hygiene, etc.
• In addition, the remaining bacteria can cause renewed inflammation in the root canals.

However, these risks and pains are very low with root canal treatment performed professionally by the dentist. Therefore, if you suspect the presence of an inflammation in your tooth that requires root canal treatment, it would be in your best interest to see a dentist as soon as possible. Root canal treatment has now become an extremely painless and simple procedure.