Demystifying root canal treatmentMany people have a deep-seated fear of root canal (endodontic) treatment. They will say “not as bad as a root canal” – as if it is one of
worst human experiences. Such fears are unfounded. In professional hands, root canal treatment is
best way to keep your natural teeth and preserve good dental health. By having better information about this treatment, you will understand why it is often called ‘the tooth saver’, says endodontics specialist Dr. Tony Druttman www.londonendo.co.uk
Life doesn’t always play us a fair hand. Most of us try to keep our teeth in reasonable condition because we know that long-term neglect can be painful, both in
mouth and pocket. Yet there are occasions when unnoticed changes take place to our teeth. We only become aware of this when we have dental pain or our dentist discovers an underlying problem during a routine inspection. The following advice about root canal treatment will help to put your mind at ease.
A dental microscope allows precise inspection of
tooth root
Should anecdotal evidence influence you? Very often patients describe their root canal experiences with terms like “it was very painful” and “I had to go back six times”. That’s unfortunate, but not
way things need to be. When carried out correctly,
endodontics procedure is no worse than having a normal filling, although it may take a little longer. People often agree to root canal treatment with reluctance, when there seems to be little other choice. In fact it is
best solution in cases of substantial dental damage or decay. Advice by a dentist will give you a clearer picture than advice by other patients.
Why do teeth need root treatment? The nerve and blood vessels in
tooth (known as ‘dental pulp’) are there to help
tooth grow to maturity. They protect against bacteria within
body. Bacteria play a defensive role in
general mouth area, but can become destructive when they attack
body via
dental pulp or through gum disease.
In fact, recent research has found a correlation between gum disease and coronary heart disease. Bacteria cause decay in teeth. When
decay is deep, it can allow bacteria to invade
dental pulp –
living tissue inside your teeth. Your dentist removes
decay in
tooth to protect
pulp and to restore
function and appearance of
tooth. However repeated bacterial attacks can weaken
pulp to such an extent that
nerve can no longer recover, and so
pulp dies.
How do you know if something is wrong? The point is – you don’t always know. Different nerve systems within
pulp will cause
tooth to respond in different ways. The nerve may die quietly and never cause any symptoms. It may be a chance x-ray that alerts
dentist to a problem. Alternatively
dying nerve may cause a great deal of pain and be very difficult to locate. When
nerve becomes irreversibly damaged, then either
pulp or
tooth has to be removed.