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Root Canal –
Endodontics
As the saying goes, nothing is quite as painful ’as a root
canal’. Unfortunately this urban myth
has gone a long way toward damaging the reputation of this important oral
surgery procedure. In fact, a root
canal can save a patient much trouble by salvaging a dead or dying tooth from
the danger of falling out.
What exactly is a root canal? It’s a lifeline between the tooth and the gums. The whole medical science of gums and the
inner tooth is called endodontics. You
see, teeth are actually living organs of your body. They each have an inner core of soft pulp that holds blood and
other essential life fluids. The pulp
is also the tooth’s nerve center. The sensations
of hot and cold, of pressure, and pain are all transmitted to your brain
through the nerve endings in the pulp.
The root canal, being as important as it is, can be a
problem area if it ever becomes infected with bacteria. This can result from poor oral hygiene or
even an injury that fractures part of your tooth. Once infected, there’s no real way to cure it without a
surgery. Patients with root canal
infection often feel a throbbing pain, and have increased sensitivity to
chewing hard foods and drinking hot/cold liquids.
Saving a tooth can be a huge time and money saver if you
consider the alternatives. There’s only
one real alternative to a root canal surgery, and that’s just an
extraction. You will lose your tooth
eventually if left untreated, so the extraction process circumvents this step
and removes it immediately. The gap
left behind can pose a number of health problems so most patients must wear a
partial denture or have a dental implant for the rest of their lives. Those costs can add up so often a root canal
surgery can save both time and money.
A root canal essentially removes all infected tissue from
inside the mouth via a large hole bored through the top. A smaller drill is used to bore out the
canals, but this can be a problem if your canals are curved in any way. Once all the infected tissue is removed, the
cavity is capped with inert filler. The
structural strength of the tooth is compromised with all this drilling; so many
root canal patients receive a crown to add strength.
The result is still a dead tooth, but at least it’s a dead
tooth that will remain lodged in the gums.
That’s because an infection that runs out of control eventually kills
the gum cells that anchor the tooth. Of
course, sometimes not all of the infected tissue is removed and this can result
in a re-infection that could require remedial surgery.
Root canals can indeed be painful, but in the hands of a
skilled dental surgeon it can save you much grief later on in life. Consult your dentist today if you are having
intense tooth pain. The earlier you
catch a root canal infection, the better.
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