Endodontic Treatment
Endodontic treatment, also known as ‘root canal treatment’ or ‘nerve pulling’, is the most popular dental intervention, absolutely necessary to save teeth in extreme cases of infection.
What is endodontic treatment and what does it consist of?
To understand why endodontic treatment is important, it is necessary to know what the dental pulp actually is. Inside each tooth, beneath the enamel and dentin, is the dental pulp, a soft connective tissue made up of cells, fibers and ground substance, blood and lymph vessels, and nerve fibers. The space containing this soft tissue is called the pulp chamber, and its extensions along the roots are called root canals.
The dental pulp has many complex functions, such as the dentin-forming function, the nutritive function necessary for the vitality of the tooth, the protective function (sending stimuli) and the defensive function (inflammation), so treating the inside of the tooth is vital to our oral health.
An endodontic treatment aims to remove inflamed or infected tissue, clean and disinfect all pulp chamber and root canal walls that have come into contact with the diseased tissue, and finally to seal (fill) the root canals with special materials so that bacteria have no room to grow. The main goal of this treatment is to create a sterile environment inside the tooth so that the surrounding tissues that have been damaged can heal and the tooth can continue to be used properly.
When is endodontic treatment needed?
If you experience any of the symptoms below, we recommend that you consult your dentist:
- Sudden onset of pain
- Prolonged sensitivity to hot or cold
- Change in tooth color
- Sensitivity and change in shape of soft tissues in the vicinity of the tooth
- Appearance of a fistula draining pus
- Abnormal mobility of a tooth, pain when biting, etc.
Whatever the nature of the damaging agent (microbial, thermal, chemical), the dental pulp will defend itself against it through a tissue defense reaction called inflammation (dental pulpitis).
How is endodontic treatment performed?
Correct endodontic treatment takes place over several stages under local anesthesia:
- Removal of dental pulp from both the pulp chamber and root canals;
- Cleaning, disinfecting and preparing the pulp chamber and root canals with specific endodontic needles and irrigation solutions;
- A specific medication may be placed on the root canals for several weeks. This is an optional step and is more important the more severe the pulp infection;
- The last stage of any endodontic treatment is root canal filling. This procedure involves sealing the root canals with specific filling materials.
