Root Canal Therapy
Most people cringe when they hear these three words. Root canals now a days are not as bad as they used to be - mostly due to the technological advances in the treatment modalities.
What is a root canal? Teeth inherently have two nerves - one on the outside and one on the inside. The nerve on the outside of the teeth is to sense pressure while the internal nerve is for hot and cold. When teeth are fractured, damaged, or filled heavily, the nerve on the inside tends to degenerate and "die". Like any dead tissue in your body, it is important to remove the tissue to avoid infections. Thus, root canals are to remove the dead tissue - or "pulp" (once made up of nerves and blood vessels) - and fill the canal with a soft filling material.
Root canals are not used to treat infections, but are also used to allow the dentist to place posts to retain crowns and bridges. Sometimes, the dentist will suggest root canals ahead of time to avoid problems in the future - especially if the existing teeth has a deep filling of the filling is too large to hold a crown properly.
Most root canals are completed in one appointment, unless there are extenuating circumstances to prevent it. Your dentist would be better to provide you with more information following an assessment of the tooth in question.
During the procedure, a gap is drilled into the tooth’s crown and pulp chamber, diseased pulp is reshaped or removed, and the tooth is permanently sealed with a gold, porcelain, or tooth-colored inlay/onlay or crown.
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