The Greek words "endo" and "odont" stand for inside and tooth, respectively. An endodontic treatment or root canal treatment treats the inside of a tooth. If the pulp of the tooth becomes infected or inflamed, endodontic treatment becomes necessary. Root canals are typically suggested when a dentist believes the tooth is worth saving. Before treatment, patients should know why to choose endodontic treatment.
A patient's mouth includes bacteria from plaque, food, and saliva. Infections may occur due to trauma, cavities, or dental procedures. Signs of an infection include bitter tastes, red gums, pimples on gums, tooth sensitivity, and sore or throbbing teeth. If patients forego a root canal procedure, they may have returning infections or suffer from infection complications.
As pressure builds in the tooth, the pain may become unbearable. This pain does not subside, and it does not become better without the help of antibiotics, drainage, or root canal treatment. For many people, if the infection worsens, the pain may become so severe that no pain medication can help.
When bacteria enter the pulp, it does not always remain isolated. The infection may spread through the patient's soft tissues. With no treatment, the patient may suffer from:
Treatment prevents infections from becoming systemic.
When the pulp becomes infected, it triggers an inflammatory response. As the pressure inside of the pulp increases, it cuts off the blood supply, starves the nerve, and kills the pulp. A dead tooth has no blood flow and can fall out on its own. However, patients waiting for a tooth to fall out may suffer from an infection spreading through the jaw and other teeth before losing the tooth.
When a dentist suggests a root canal, the second option is almost always a tooth extraction. In most cases, the recommendation is to save the tooth. While there are many ways to replace a tooth, natural teeth are generally the better option. When a patient's tooth becomes too damaged by the infection, it may need to be extracted instead. If performed early enough, however, root canals save patients from tooth extractions.
During a root canal, the dentist creates a small opening to expose the tooth's canals. Next, the dentist cleans the damaged tissue and decay from the tooth and seals it from future infection. Following the procedure, the dentist restores the tooth using crowns or fillings.
For patients with tooth decay, trauma, or an infected tooth, root canal treatment may be the only option to save the tooth from extraction. To avoid further infection, additional pain, or tooth loss, patients should consider a root canal.
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