Root Canal Treatment

What is Root Canal Treatment?

Pulp is the tissue that gives the vitality to the tooth, and is responsible for the development, nourishment and defense of the tooth. The pulp may become inflamed for a variety of reasons or may be infected by the introduction of microorganisms. In the circumstances, the pulp tissue must be removed and the canal cavity should be cleaned, shaped and filled with tissue-friendly canal fillers. These procedures are defined as root canal treatment.

What are the conditions that require root canal treatment in the tooth?

Deep caries, previously made fillings or caries that repeat under crown prostheses (coatings),

After the filling or crowning of the teeth, the patient's complaints do not pass, Crown/root fractures in the teeth as a result of the impact,

Damage of the dental pulp as a result of non-function movements such as the patient's chewing habits or teeth grinding,

Pulp damage after advanced gum diseases or gingival operations, The determination that pulp has lost its vitality.

In prosthetic restoration of crowded teeth, root canal treatment may be necessary.

Root canal treatment may also be required for adjacent teeth during 20-year-old tooth extraction or removal of large cysts in the jawbone.

What are the complaints that require root canal treatment?

Spontaneous pain in the tooth,

Pain that increases at night and does not pass even with painkillers,

Prolonged pain triggered by an external factor such as cold, hot or dental contact, swelling around the tooth, gum and/or related lymph nodes,

Fistula caused by infection of the tooth or discoloration on the tooth.

However, teeth that lose their vitality may not cause any complaints. This condition should not be perceived as no need for root canal treatment.

What are the stages of root canal treatment?

Root canal treatmentis an operation that lasts an average of 1 hour, The stages in this process are as follows: Narcotisation of the relevant tooth with anesthesia

Isolation of the tooth from the oral tissues

Preparation of the cavity for access to the root canals

Determination of working length of the root canal length

Cleaning, shaping and disinfecting the root canal cavity

Filling the root canal cavity tightly and making permanent or temporary filling to the tooth Supporting these procedures with radiography.

Can pain be felt during root canal treatment?

Root canal treatment does not cause pain; on the contrary, it is applied for pain relief. Teeth and surrounding tissues to be treated for root canals are numbed with local anesthesia. During treatment, the patient does not feel pain. However, in some cases, the patient may feel mild discomfort. This problem is easily overcome by performing auxiliary anesthetics.

Is there pain after root canal treatment?

After the root canal treatment, cold and hot sensitivity of the tooth is not encountered. If there is inflammation and pain in the tooth before treatment, discomfort may be felt for a few days after treatment, especially during chewing. However, this complaint will disappear with the adaptation of the tissues.

What should the patient pay attention to after the treatment?

Root canal treatment may consist of one or more sessions. Especially in treatments lasting more than one session, the patient should pay attention to the pressure on the tooth during the inter-session period. The patient may feel discomfort for several days after treatment. In this process, a painkiller recommended by the dentist may be used. The patient should avoid eating before the numbness in the area passes after the treatment.

Is there need for another operation after root canal treatment?

Additional operations may be required for permanent restoration, especially in patients who have lost most of the dental tissue. In this way, it is aimed to keep the tooth in the mouth for a long time.

May a root canal-treated tooth become inflamed again?

The success rate in well-done root canal treatments is around 90-95%. However, the root canals may become reinfected in cases of re-leakage of bacteria into the root canals due to reasons such as the formation of a new caries in the tooth depending on the patient's oral hygiene or the formation of fracture in the filling of the tooth. In the treatment of root canal that has not been done adequately, the tooth may not cause problems for the patient in the short term. However, in the long term, it is possible for the tooth to become inflamed again and to require a repeat of root canal treatment.

What kind of complications may occur during root canal treatment?

There are some complications that may be seen during treatment, although they are very rare. These;

Although it is very rare during root canal treatment; Tool breakage in root canals

Overflow of root canal filling outside root

Overflow of root canal flushing solutions outside root Fracture of the tooth

Perforation in the root canal (puncture of the tooth)

Although these complications can mostly be eliminated by the dentist, in some cases, they may not have a solution although not dependent on dentist. At this point, the patient is informed and a solution is tried to be reached.

What is root canal treatment?

The dental pulp is the tissue responsible for the development and vitality of the tooth. Pulp tissue affected by decay or traumatic causes can be infected for several reasons. Root canal treatment is a procedure that involves removing and cleaning the infected pulp tissue and filling the cavity with a tissue-friendly material.

For what reasons does the tooth need the root canal treatment?

In the following cases, the need for root canal treatment may occur.

In cases of severe decay penetrated into the dental pulp,
In cases of traumatic dental injuries,
In case of the reappearance of tooth decay under restorations such as previous fillings and crown prosthetics,
In cases where it is considered that the pulp of crowded teeth will be damaged due to restorative procedures,
In cases where the pulp is found to be infected,
In cases where the severe gingival problems affect the vitality of the tooth,
In cases where it is considered that the teeth in the related area would be effected prior to surgical operations,
If the teeth are affected by chronic trauma, such as grinding or clenching of the teeth.

What symptoms can we observe in teeth that need root canal treatment?

Spontaneous, that is, self-induced pain
Particularly at night, the increase in toothache and does not wear off
Toothache and long-lasting pains due to factors such as hot, cold and tooth contact
Swelling observed in tooth-related areas due to infected tissues

However, the lack of such conditions does not mean that the tooth does not need root canal treatment. In chronic stages, the tooth may not show any symptoms. Therefore, the vitality and health of the tooth should be regularly checked.

What are the stages of root canal treatment?

When it is observed that root canal treatment is required for the tooth as a result of the examination, anesthesia is administered to numb the tooth.
The tooth is isolated from rest of mouth tissues.
A cavity is prepared to access to canals following the cleaning of decayed tissues and former fillings or restorations.
After access to the root canals is achieved, the dimension of the canal are taken by electronic or radiographic methods.
The root canal space, which includes the pulp, is cleaned, disinfected and 3-D root canal filling is placed with a tissue-friendly material in a sealed manner.
Radiographic controls of these operations are carried out.
Permanent restoration of the tooth is performed if it is deemed to be necessary, but in some cases (if the tooth decay is too wide or too deep, the tooth has already been broken, etc.) prosthetic dentistry may be needed.

Does a root canal hurt?

Root canal treatment is performed under local anesthesia and the patient does not feel any discomfort and pain. However, a bit sensitivity may happen in some dental factors, depending on the tooth, in which case the dentist eliminates it thanks to the additional support anesthetics and it is brought under control.

What should I keep in mind after the treatment?

As with any medical procedure, after canal treatment, the sensation of mild pain and discomfort is normal. If there is no setback, this will ease in a few days. In this process, the patient should take care to avoid pressure on the relevant tooth and provide the tooth with the necessary time to heal. He will then remain to use the relevant tooth quite comfortably.

Following the procedure, swelling can be observed due to oedema in the infected teeth. In these cases, the patient should contact his dentist and follow the necessary procedures. The dentist shall help to eliminate the patient's complaints and inform the patient for patient's comfort.

What are the complications that may be encountered during root canal treatment?

Despite it is seen very rare, some complications may occur during treatment. These are mostly associated with the tooth-related factors. Some complications are as follows:

Breaking of the tools used in the teeth during treatment
Fraction of the teeth
Root canal perforation
Overflow of the solutions used in the root canal disinfection out of the root
Overflow of the gutta percha out of the root canal

These complications can probably be eliminated by the dentist. However, in some factors that do not depend on the dentist, the patient should be informed and the patient and the dentist should adopt the appropriate treatment option together.

Is it likely to inflame again the tooth on which root canal treatment was already applied before?

The success rate is around 90-95% if root canal treatment is performed well. However, as certain patient-related factors get involved, in cases where sufficient oral hygiene is not provided, the relevant tooth will begin to decay again, which may result in infection of the tooth again by infiltrating bacteria and microorganisms into the root canal.

In cases where root canal treatment is not performed adequately, a cavity leading to the environment for the formation of bacteria into the root canal may result in infection of the tooth. In the short term, even if it does not cause any discomfort to the patient, this may appear in the long term with symptoms such as pain or swelling in the patient's teeth. In this case, the dentist should assess the probability of the new canal treatment for the relevant tooth, and the patient and the dentist should discuss the best treatment option and so decide together