Endodontics is one of the most frequent oral interventions carried out in a dental office. Also known as Root Canal in the United States, it is a process that aims to remove the pulp or dental nerve.
As a general rule, this situation is caused by deep caries or due to trauma, and is an essential intervention to save the tooth. If we do not perform endodontics, it is very likely that the tooth will be lost in the very near future.
What is endodontics?
As we explained in the previous paragraph, endodontics is a common treatment that consists of removing the nerve of a tooth. This intervention is carried out in those people who have a necrotic dental nerve, a situation that not only endangers the integrity of the tooth but also causes all kinds of oral infections in the patient.
Before we start talking about the endodontic process, let’s get to know some of the main causes that make it possible for the dental nerve to become necrotic.
- Firstly, we will mention advanced dental caries as one of the most common and frequent causes. Dental caries is a disease that in its initial phase only affects the enamel, however if we do not treat this pathology we run the risk of the disease continuing to progress, affecting both the dentine and the dental nerve.
- Blows or trauma as well as bruxism are other main reasons why root canal treatment is necessary.
Do you want to know more about cavities?
One of the best ways to take care of your smile is to have preventive treatments such as teeth cleaning. Remember to visit your dentist at least once a year.
Endodontics steps
The first step in endodontics is to anaesthetise the area to be treated. Thanks to the local anaesthesia, you will hardly feel any discomfort during the intervention.
The next step in an endodontic procedure is to isolate the tooth and drill a small hole in the enamel. Through this hole, a series of elements are introduced to extract the necrotic nerve, as well as cleaning the canals that connect the nerve to the rest of the tooth.
Next, it is time to talk about the tooth sealing phase, a process that is focused on sealing the canals that have been cleaned and disinfected.
The last step of a root canal is the reconstruction of the tooth and will depend on the needs of the patient.
In some cases, a small filling will be sufficient, while in other cases a dental crown will be inserted, which will increase the resistance of the treated tooth and offer unbeatable aesthetics that will leave no one indifferent.
Once the root canal has been completed, it is important to visit your dentist regularly to check that the process has been satisfactory. Although the success rate of a root canal is quite high, it should be noted that some cases will require a second process over time.
Schedule an appointment with the endodontist.
How many sessions does an endodontic treatment take?
To answer this question we would have to know each particular case, given that there are teeth that have several root canals and this means that a single session will not always be enough. However, in many cases, a single session will be enough to carry out an endodontic process and, in this way, we will solve a problem that compromises the future of our tooth.
Is endodontics a painful process?
Nowadays, dental interventions are not painful due to the use of local anaesthesia in any intervention. In the case of endodontics, this is no exception, as the area will be anaesthetised before being treated, so the patient will hardly feel any discomfort during the intervention.
Agenta tu primera cita con el dentista en Mexicali, México.
This post is purely informational and does not replace a consultation with the dentist in any way. Contact the smile agents team to schedule an appointment with one of the dentists at Smilers Dental Clinic.
