What is a Root Canal

Boca Raton Dentist Explains a Root Canal

A root canal can be a very painful experience, and it would make
anyone nervous and a bit scared to go in to surgery, so to ease
your mind, Dr. Costabile, a Boca Raton dentist, decided to shed a
little light on the subject.

Question: What is a Root Canal?

The root canal is the space inside the tooth at the center, also
known as the pulp chamer, and it travels down the whole length of
the root the the tip (or apex). The human tooth can have one to four
root canals, this depends on the anatomy of the tooth. A molar can
have 2 to 4 canals, a premolar can have 1 to 2, cuspids can have 1
to 2 and incisors usually only have 1 canal. Sometimes extra
canals may branch out from the main canal, and these are called
acessory canals. The number of canals vary among teeth.

Answer:

Common Reasons for Root Canals
These tiny canals contain the pulp of the tooth and are referred to
as the nerve, which comes from the pulp chamber. If you have had
a trauma or infection of the nerve, this will require the need for root canal therapy. Some of the common reasons for root canal can
include:
If you have any decay on the tooth it can penetrate through the
enamel and then the dentin in to the pulp.
If your tooth becomes abscessed or infected from decay.
If you have a chipped or broken tooth caused from trauma, can
result in exposure of the nerve.
Your tooth can slowly die, due to a past trauma or age, but didn’t
require treatment at the time of the injury.

How Is Root Canal Therapy Performed?

Before the procedure begins your Boca Raton dentist will advise
you as to how many appointments you may need to complete the
toot canal. If you had an infection or an abcess, you will need to
start an antibiotic before completing the root canal. The first thing
the dentist will do is begin the appointment by giving you a local
anesthetic to numb the tooth that he will be working on.

Once the tooth has become numb you can expect the following
procedures to be done:

An x-ray of the tooth, showing the whole tooth in the film (called a
“periapical x-ray”), will be taken so that the dentist can refer to it during the procedure.
Next the dentist will place a dam over your mouth, this plastic
shield, made from either latex or nonlatex materials, will keep the
tooth dry from your daliva before the final steps can be takenj to
complete the procedure. Different chemical solutions will be used
to disinfect the inside of your tooth. The dam will keep these
solutions from entering your mouth.
Now the dentist can begin the procedure by first drilling a small
hole through the tooth into the pulp chamber—this is where the
nerve of your tooth is located.
Now he will start using tiny files, that are designed to remove the
nerve from your tooth and any infected tissue that is there. Some
files can be used by hand; others are connected to a slow moving
dental hand piece which is called a “rotary insturment.” Your
dentist may need another x-ray at this time to determine the length
of the root. It is very important that the entire nerve is removed so
not to have any toothaches after the procedure and no re-infection
of the tooth. This would mean retreatment or extraction of the
toothe. So to prevent this, the dentist has to get as close to the tip, or the apex of your tooth, to remove all of the nerve. This is the longest part of the whole procedure.
After the dentist is sure that the entire tooth has been cleaned out,
and dried with tiny absorbent paper points, and is completely dry,
he will place material (called “gutta percha’) in the tooth. This is a rubbermaterial designed to seal the inside of the tooth.
Now your dentist will remove any remaining decay and decide to
either place a temporary filling on to the close the tooth, or
proceed with a permanent filling. If you are having this work dome
by an endodontist; this is a dentist who specializes in root canals,
he will place a remporaty restoration and send you back to your
general dentist for permanent restoration. Usually your dentist will
recommend having a crown put on the tooth, because since the
nerve and blood supply to that tooth has been removed, the tooth
can become brittle over time, and can crack. A crown will prevent
this from happening.

Recovering from Your Root Canal Therapy

Once the anesthetic has worn off, you may be sore from the
procedure. The dentist will probably recommend a pain reliver to
take when you get home, and depending on the reasons behind
your toot canal, you may be given antibiotics to clear up any
remaining infection in the toothe. If you were on antibiotcs before
the procedure than you would finish the remaining medication
after.

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