Canal Treatment

Canal treatment is a widely used dental procedure that keeps the natural tooth by removing decaying pulp or tooth nerves. Root canal treatment is an endodontic procedure, which means the centremost part of the tooth is subject to dental applications. The pulp, that centremost layer of the tooth, consists of soft tissue, nerves, and blood vessels feeding the tooth. If the decaying, sensitive, or abscess-causing pulp is cleared or removed, your natural tooth still remains alive and functions properly. Thus, root canal procedures are safe and suggested for cases where ordinary dental filling may not solve the problem, and tooth extraction is not yet necessary.

Symptoms of the Necessity for Canal Treatment

It is possible for the patients to self-check whether an endodontic treatment is necessary with their teeth. The symptoms may include one or several of these examples.

Sensitivity to high temperatures related to too cold or too hot drinks,

Irritation or inflammation caused by pressing the tooth or chewing

Swollen gum around the problematic tooth root

Abscess in and around the pulp that can be seen like some burning feeling and swelling.

Cracking tooth enamel and hard tissue or traumatic pressure on the whole tooth.

When any of these symptoms occur, the best solution is to make an appointment with an endodontist at a dental clinic with expertise on periodontic and endodontic treatments.

Step-by-Step Root Canal Procedures

Your dental visit will usually keep up with a diagnosis, endodontic intervention, and filling/coating steps. The diagnosis step, which ensures that your decaying tooth needs root canal treatment, will be accompanied by oral X-raying processes. As soon as root canal deformation is ensured, local anesthesia will be the second step. Anesthetic injection discharges the pain stress on the pulp nerves and the soft tissue. In fact, non-surgical endodontic interventions don’t cause pain, but you can feel the intervening application on the root while the nerve tissues are removed.

After local anesthesia, the top of your tooth will be opened to access the pulp. This step is dedicated to fully and carefully clearing up the pathways to the pulp and partial or complete removal of the pulp regarding the treatment type. The next step may go for an antibiotic coating to provide disinfection on the area. The sealing process is done by pasting a rubber-like material on the top to coat the top. Temporary tooth filling proceeds sealing step. In severe cases, your dentist may prefer to do it during your second visit to allow the tooth to refresh itself and abscess to recover. In most cases, canal treatment is performed on the same day, and the patient goes back to work and daily routine healthily.

Alternating Root Canal Treatments

Dental procedures requiring tooth canal treatment may diversify due to the severity of the pulp damage, abscess area, and decay. Root canal treatments are also performed on an infant’s teeth if the case does not need an extraction. Root canal treatment with no surgical process follows up the steps described above. However, excessive decay or inflammation on the surrounding bone may require another option. Apicoectomy, a micro-surgical intervention, removes the tip of the root and temporary filling heals the bone until it is substituted by the permanent filling. In contrast to adult mouth, infant mouth and teeth need some other specific options. Pulpotomy and pulpectomy are the versions applied on infant and child teeth. A pulpotomy is executed when just the inner nerve tissue of the pulp is affected, whereas pulpectomy requires full removal of the pulp to be replaced by a filling.

Self-Care for Long-living Root Canals

Whether a surgical or non-surgical canal treatment is executed, it is recommended to sustain proper and regular care of the mouth. If a temporary filling is not coated, chewing should be avoided with the treated tooth until it is filled. In that situation, mouth sprays and mouthwash products can be preferred. Brushing routinely is required. Hot and cold drinks should be avoided until the gum and bone healing in severe cases. For micro-surgical interventions, antibiotic use may accompany your self-care to heal the abscess. Chewing and biting hard nutrients should be avoided not to cause cracks.

Canal Treatment Cost

Canal treatment cost depends on the treatment type as well as the need for accompanying bridge, denture, or crown procedure and their materials. Yet, it is always one of the most economical dental applications on an overall basis. Most importantly, the tooth with root canal treatment is your tooth. With the removal of the nerves, it is very important that you use your teeth painlessly and comfortably for a long time. Every dentist wants to protect the teeth of the patient and keep them in the patient's mouth whenever possible. In this sense, root canal treatment is one of the treatment methods that every dentist will prefer first.