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Root canal treatment is one of the most common dental procedures performed in dentistry and basically consists of cleaning the dental pulp and filling the cavity with biocompatible filling material.
This treatment is known in popular culture as “killing the nerve.” The goal of this procedure is to heal the pain and save the tooth. This avoids having to resort to more expensive reconstructive treatments such as dental implants.
Patients usually need this type of treatment when cavities have not been properly treated and have caused damage to the dental pulp. Although it is not the only factor, it is the most common one.
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Endodontics is the branch of dentistry that studies diseases of the tooth pulp and their treatment.
Endodontic treatment is a conservative procedure that involves removing the damaged pulp from a tooth and sealing the pulp canal.
The pulp of the tooth is a soft tissue composed of nerves and blood vessels. It is located in the deepest part of the tooth and connects the tooth to the alveolar bone. In addition to helping form the tooth, the pulp allows us to feel external stimuli (heat, cold, etc.).
This treatment allows the tooth to remain functional and is our last option for saving a tooth that would otherwise have to be extracted.
The main reason why the pulp is damaged is because there is a cavity that has not been treated at an early stage—by filling it—and has grown to reach the pulp.
However, it can also be damaged for other reasons:
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Avoid unnecessary extractions and restore functionality.
We provide prompt care to slow the spread of infection.
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To ensure that the treatment is painless, we will first apply local anesthesia. Once the area is numb, we will access the pulp chamber—the area where the pulp is located in the visible part of the tooth.
Once we have accessed the area, we begin by disinfecting it and removing the pulp tissue using a motor and a system of rotating files. We extract the infected tissue and clean the space that has been left in the root canal.
Once the area has been disinfected, we shape each canal to facilitate filling. The method used for filling is gutta-percha with a sealing cement. Gutta-percha is a type of resin that comes from the rubber tree.
It is especially important to seal the entire canal well, so that no fluid can enter and reinfect the system.
And, when finished, we will take an X-ray to ensure that the filling is adequate.
Normally, during a root canal appointment, the tooth will not be permanently restored, but rather the cavity will be filled with a temporary filling.
During a second appointment, we will restore the tooth, thereby restoring its appearance and function.
Advanced and minimally invasive treatments to preserve your natural teeth.
Root canal treatment is performed under local anesthesia, so the patient does not feel any pain while being treated.
However, once the treatment is complete, the tissues surrounding the tooth may be inflamed and discomfort may be felt when the anesthesia wears off, when chewing, or spontaneously.
If you do experience any pain, it will disappear within a few days and can usually be relieved with common painkillers.
Root canal treatments began to be performed in the 1960s, so this is a common and well-established treatment with a very high success rate that prevents the extraction of teeth that would otherwise be doomed.
When the cavity is very large in baby teeth and reaches the pulp, we have two treatments to perform depending on the extent of the pulp disease:
We will always try to keep temporary teeth as long as possible, treating them so that they remain in the mouth until the replacement tooth comes in, in order to maintain the space and ensure that they have room to come in without any problems.
When a tooth has a partially formed root and we have a condition that requires us to treat the pulp, we must change our approach.
The pulp is responsible for root formation and closure. If we remove the pulp entirely and do not have root closure, we will have a tooth with an incomplete root for the rest of the patient’s life.
Therefore, we have several alternatives:
These techniques are more complex than those used in root canal treatment on fully formed teeth, and often require more treatment sessions and closer monitoring. This is why it is very important to prevent tooth decay in children (whose teeth have not yet fully formed roots) and to avoid these treatments by filling cavities in time.
Endodontics is a dental treatment that involves cleaning the dental pulp (soft tissue inside the tooth) and filling the cavity with biocompatible material. This procedure, commonly known as “killing the nerve,” is performed to eliminate pain and save the tooth, avoiding the need for more expensive reconstructive treatments such as dental implants.
Root canal treatment is necessary when the pulp of the tooth is damaged or infected, usually due to deep cavities, trauma, fractures, or other conditions. Common symptoms include persistent sensitivity to cold or heat, pain when biting, tooth discoloration, tooth mobility, and the appearance of an abscess or fistula.
These are used on teeth with moderate cavities. The decayed part of the tooth will need to be filled with composite resin.
These are used on teeth that have suffered extensive damage.
Since the lost part of the tooth is too large, we will insert a fiberglass post that will retain our filling of the stump and then, at another appointment, place a crown made by the laboratory.
The placement of both the fiberglass post and the reconstruction and crown is especially important in severely damaged posterior teeth, as they are constantly used for chewing, and this will prevent subsequent fractures due to chewing overload.
Composite and fiberglass posts are aesthetic materials with mechanical properties similar to those of teeth, and they achieve a mechanical bond with the tooth.
Some symptoms that a patient who needs root canal treatment may experience are as follows:
However, in other cases there are no symptoms, but treatment is still necessary if the decay affects the pulp, the pulp has become necrotic, etc.
As a general rule, these are the steps involved in the treatment:
The treatment is performed under local anesthesia, so you will not feel any pain during the procedure. After the treatment, you may experience discomfort due to inflammation of the surrounding tissues, but this usually disappears within a few days and can be managed with common painkillers.
Dr. Talía Gil Penón
Dr. Talía Gil Penón has a degree in Dentistry from the University of Valencia.
She holds a PhD in Dentistry from the University of Valencia. She obtained a final grade of Summa Cum Laude in her doctoral thesis.
Among other studies and accreditations, she has a Master’s Degree in Endodontics (8th edition) from the University of Valencia.
She belongs to the Spanish Endodontics Association and regularly participates in conferences and symposiums organized by this association. She is the dentist responsible for endodontics at the clinic.
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This post is also available in: Spanish
