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Root Canal Therapy
So, your dentist
suggested a root canal treatment to save one your teeth? I had this
procedure done on one of my molars last year.
Root canal treatment/therapy, also
known as Endodontic treatment is used to save tooth
that has been damaged (often
from a deep cavity or an injury that causes the tooth to
crack) and the inside
of the tooth becomes infected. This infection damages the pulp of
the tooth-a
soft tissue that contains nerves, blood vessels and connective tissue.
The pulp lies within the
tooth and extends to the crown of the tooth to the tip of the
root in the bone
of the jaws.
Left untreated, the damaged
pulp can cause infection that will damage the bone around
the tooth and cause
swelling and pain. If the damaged tooth becomes infected, your
dentist, or a
dental specialist called an Endodontist, may have to perform an endodontic
treatment (often called Root Canal Treatment) to save it- procedure is an alternative to
tooth
extraction.
Procedure
Depending upon how much
infection there is in the injured tooth, your may be put on
medicine before your
dentist or Endodontist can begin to work.
an
opening is made through the crown of your tooth into the pulp chamber where the
damaged pulp is removed.
Then
root canal is cleaned and shaped to take the filling. Medications may be put in
the pulp chamber and root canal to kill the germs and control infection that may
have
spread beyond the tooth
A temporary filling is then placed in the crown to protect tooth between dental visits.
In
some cases, the pulp chamber is left open to drain. After a few days, the pulp
chamber and root canals are cleaned and filled again.
A gold or porcelain crown is then placed over the tooth.
With
good dental hygiene and regular check-ups, your restored tooth could last a
lifetime.
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