Root Canal Treatment
Root canal therapy is one of the most common procedures. If the dental pulp (containing nerves, arterioles, venules, lymphatic tissue, and fibrous tissue) becomes diseased or injured, endodontic treatment is required to save the tooth.
However, once a tooth is fully mature it can survive without the pulp, because the tooth continues to be nourished by the tissues surrounding it.
When pulp becomes infected, it causes increased blood flow and cellular activity and pressure cannot be relieved from inside the tooth. This causes pain on cold, hot or spontaneous pain on biting or laying down. Pulp can even die without causing significant pain or without any symptoms. On occasion, a damaged pulp is noticed by drainage, swelling and abscess at the root end.
Because the tooth will not heal by itself, the infection may spread around the tissue causing destruction of bone and supporting tissue. This may cause tooth to fall out. Root canal treatment is done to save the damaged pulp by thoroughly cleaning and shaping the root canal system and then filling it with gutta-percha material to prevent recontamination of the tooth. Tooth is permanently restored with crown with or without post. If tooth is seriously damaged and its support is compromised, then extraction is the only alternative.
Nowadays most of the treatment can be completed in 2-3 visits. But treatment time can vary according to the condition of the tooth. In some cases treatment can be done in 1 visit only.
