Endodontics

Endodontics or root canal therapy is a sequence of treatments on the pulp of a tooth to eliminate infection and protect the decontaminated tooth from future microbial invasion.

What does a root canal involve?

At this first visit, the dentist must ensure that you are not biting into the tooth, which could also trigger pain. Sometimes the dentist performs preliminary treatment of the tooth by removing all of the infected pulp of the tooth and applying a dressing and temporary filling. This is called a “pulpectomy”. The dentist may also remove just the coronal portion of the dental pulp, which contains 90% of the nerve tissue, and leave intact the pulp in the canals. This procedure, called a “pulpotomy”, tends to essentially eliminate all the pain. A “pulpotomy” may be a relatively definitive treatment for infected primary teeth. The pulpectomy and pulpotomy procedures eliminate almost all pain until the follow-up visit for finishing the root canal.

After removing as much of the internal pulp as possible, the root canals can be temporarily filled with calcium hydroxide paste. This strong alkaline base is left in for a week or more to disinfect and reduce inflammation in surrounding tissue. Ibuprofen taken orally is commonly used before and/or after these procedures to reduce inflammation.

After receiving a root canal, the tooth should be protected with a crown that covers the cusps of the tooth. Otherwise, over the years the tooth will almost certainly fracture, since root canals remove tooth structure from the tooth and undermine the tooth’s structural integrity.

The procedure is often complicated, depending on circumstances, and may involve multiple visits over a period of weeks. The cost is typically high.