The root canal treatment is beginning with an exact diagnose that includes always the x-ray making and the oral examinations. After learning these we numb the tooth with local injections as the whole procedure has to be painless. After the numbing We clean the carious cavity, we open the nerve canal and remove it’s contents – the nerve and the blood vessels. We measure the nerve canal’s length with a special electric endometer and we widen and clean the nerve canals until the measured length. Finally we perfectly disinfect and dry the root canals, and usuallly first we place a medical filling called calcium hydroxide into the root canals. This stays in the canals for 1-2 weeks and then we remove it and make the permanent, hard root canal fillings. Our root canal filling has to reach the top of the roots and has to fill up all the canals. If we made exact root canal treatments, we can looking for a strong and perfectly healthy tooth on long term.
The root canal treatment means the clearing, disinfecting, widening and filling of the root canal-system in the tooth.
Indications:
- A tooth is aching / is inflamed / is infected
- A tooth is not alive
- A deeply decayed cavity reaches the nerve canal
- Nesessity for prosthetic treatment
If we do crown or bridgework then the root canal treatment is absolutely NOT indicated. While the tooth has it’s circulation it has protection against infection and feels all kind of stimulus. That is why we always try to keep the tooth alive if possible.
The correct root canal treatmet has 2 conditions:
1. All of the canals should be well disinfected / sterilized
2. The root filling should be absolutely precise
Precision means that the filling has to reach the top of the root and has to fill up all the canals in al width. It means that the “soul” of the root canal treatment is the perfect diagnosis; we have to know what king of infection should be treated and what the real length of the canal is. To determine the length we use a “double diagnostic system”. First the canals are measured electronically and secondly the local x-ray of the roots.
Does the root canal teratment hurt?
The root canal treatment never hurts as we do this treatment only on perfectly numbed teeth. If after the first numbing it is still sensitive we use a different numbing method and different numbing material for the perfect effect.
How long does a root canal treatment take? More appointments?
We usually manage the root canal treatments in 2 sits. First we expose the nerve canal, remove the nerve, file and disinfect the canals and place in a medical filling. This needs about 30-50 minutes. 1-2 weeks later we remove the medicine from the canals and make a permanent, hard root canal filling. It’s about 20-30 minutes.
Once if a tooth is root canaled will never cause any problem?
A tooth that has a correct, exact root canal filling, usually does not cause any matter. Buti f the filling does not reach the canal, or goes over the top of the canal, or the disinfection before the filling is not sufficient, can cause serious problems like biting sensitivity,slight but often pain or can cause further diseases.
Will the root canaled teeth discolour?
The root canaled teeth usually can be discoloured by the root filling material they contain. That is why we always remove the coronal part of the root canal filling if we make any aesthetic restorations like fillings or inlays, so the teeth will not discolour.
Are the root canaled teeth fragile?
If we do a root canal treatment the circulation of the live tooth is over, so gets dry a bit that can make it a bit fragile. Only this would not cause the breaking of the teeth but there are usually quite big cavities and fillings in the teeth so the own tooth material is quite little and these together can cause smaller or bigger chipping more often then at live teeth.
If there is any abscess or cyst around the root, what will happen?
If there is a big abscess or cyst around the root we usually recommend the extraction. At smaller abscesses we can offer the root canal treatment with calcium hidroxide for longer term. At the front and premolar teeth we can finish the root canal treatment surgically, if we do a root resection and we directly remove the infection with the top of the root.