The First Step to Understanding Root Canal

If your tooth has been aching for quite some time or your gums are swollen with pain, it’s probably time you head to the dentist’s. Dental care is very important and regular check-ups help in detecting and curing ailments while they are still in their early stages. A very common remedy for such pains is the Root Canal Treatment, more commonly known as just ‘root canal’. It is a procedure to treat a decayed tooth or swollen gums, and to avoid the infection from spreading further. So what happens during a root canal procedure? A tooth consists of a natural cavity that has a pulp, various nerves and blood vessels. This pulp nurtures the tooth during the initial stages of growth and is what reacts to cold or hot food. This pulp may get infected due to the invasion of bacteria or due to a crack in the tooth and cause a lot of pain. An endodontist, a dentist who specialises in root canal procedures, removes this infected pulp and cleans the canal free of any infection during a root canal treatment. To begin with, an x-ray of the infected tooth will be taken. After studying the x-ray, the dentist will numb the area around the tooth with the help of anaesthesia. This area is also kept dry and saliva-free by placing a rubber shield, which helps in preventing any of the procedural fluids from entering one’s mouth. A hole is then drilled into the tooth to reach the canal and remove the pulp cavity with the help of special tools. After this, the cavity is cleaned up completely with an antiseptic to remove any remaining infection. This cleaning of the cavity is the essential part of a root canal procedure. After thoroughly cleaning out the canal, the dentist then starts with the filling. The cavity is filled with a suitable fluid and a temporary filling is placed over the tooth. This is then covered with a permanent filling, sometimes called as a crown. A crown helps protect the tooth from any external damage. After the root canal treatment, if one experiences pain or if the infection still remains, the dentist may prescribe antibiotics or call for further examination. A root canal treatment is very important. If not treated timely, an infected tooth may have to be extracted. This may lead to spreading of the infection, and may result in multiple tooth decay. With the advancement of new techniques and tools available for this procedure, it remains a safe and effective way of treatment. Hence a root canal treatment is a very viable and useful solution to your dental ailments.