What is Root Canal Therapy?

Endodontics, or root canal therapy, is often the most feared and misunderstood of all dental procedures. In order to understand treatment it helps to understand the anatomy of a tooth. Your tooth consists of two main parts, the crown, which is that part of the tooth you can see, and the root or roots, which is the part of the tooth that lies beneath the gum and is surrounded by bone. Inside each root is a canal, which contains pulp (nerves, blood vessels and soft tissue.) It is necessary to have root canal treatment when the pulp becomes inflamed or infected. The most common reasons for inflammation and infection are bacteria associated with decay, very deep restorations, fractures or trauma. If pulp inflammation is left untreated, it can cause pain or lead to an abscess. In order to preserve a tooth in which this has occurred, it is necessary to remove the diseased pulpal tissue, either completely or partially. This procedure is known as endodontic or root canal therapy.

Signs Symptoms

Indication for endodontic treatment include:
1.Prolonged sensitivity to heat and cold.
2. Swelling, pain, or tenderness of the tooth or adjacent gums
3. Sometimes there are no symptoms and the first sign of a problem may be evident on a radiograph.

Symptoms May Include

• Jaw Pain
• Tooth Pain
• Gum Swelling
• Facial Swelling

• Trouble Sleeping
• Abscess
• Sharp Pain
• Mouth Infection

Re-treatment

Occasionally a tooth that has undergone endodontic treatment fails to heal, or the patient’s pain continues despite therapy. Although rare, sometimes a tooth initially responds to root canal therapy but becomes painful or diseased months or even years later. When either of these situations occur, the tooth often can be maintained with a second endodontic treatment.

Root End Surgery

Usually, a tooth that has undergone a root canal can last the rest of your life and never need further endodontic treatment. However, in a few cases, a tooth may not heal or become infected. A tooth may become painful or diseased months or even years after successful treatment. If this is true for you, root end surgery, or apicoectomy, may help save your tooth. Surgery may also be used in diagnosis. If you have persistent symptoms but no problems appear on your x-ray image, your tooth may have a tiny fracture or canal that could not be detected during nonsurgical treatment. In such a case, surgery allows your endodontist to examine the entire root of your tooth, find the problem, and provide treatment.