WHAT IS A ROOT CANAL?

Before, when extensive damage brought about by cavities invaded your tooth, you were only left with the option for tooth extraction. However, keeping your tooth in place despite the damage can already be done. Given the option for tooth extraction or keeping the tooth, I’m sure that many will choose the later. Checking what inside the white protective covering called the enamel and the hard layer named dentin is the collection of soft tissues and blood vessels called the pulp. This area of the tooth is responsible for the tooth’s growth and nourishment during the development phase. However, when the tooth has fully developed these soft connective tissues and blood vessels are no longer essential. The tooth can also get the nourishment it needs from the tissues that surrounds it. Removing the pulp will not affect a person’s day-to-day functions. This is the main reason why this pulp is removed once the tooth has been badly damaged and infected by decay. The dental procedure involved in situations like this is commonly known as root canal treatment. When the tooth can no longer be saved through simple procedures like tooth filling and crown, dentists usually recommends for the patient to undergo root canal therapy. In the United States, millions of tooth and smiles has been treated and saved with this type of dental procedure. A preconceived notion that root canal therapy is very painful is actually inaccurate. People who have experienced the said dental procedure reports that the process itself is just like getting a simple tooth filling, the pain caused by toothache before getting the root canal treatment is more unbearable than the procedure itself and the experience after the root canal has been done is not painful. Root canal treatments usually take one to two appointments before it is completed depending on the severity of the damage and the patient’s condition. In a nutshell, root canal therapy is done when the nerve in the pulp of the tooth has been damaged and infected. The procedure involves making an opening in the crown of the tooth to thoroughly get rid of the decay and damaged pulp. After cleaning the tooth, it is then shaped and filed to ready it for the filling rubber like material called gutta-percha. Temporary filling will be placed on top of the gutta-percha and will be removed once a crown or a permanent filling is put in place. After the root canal treatment, the patient may experience tooth sensitivity. This usually happens to patients who have experienced severe pain or infection prior the root canal treatment. Follow the dentists’ orders. Biting or chewing using the treated tooth is not advised until the said tooth is fully restored. Full restoration after the treatment is needed to avoid further fracture to the treated tooth. Root canal treatment cost varies. It depends on the severity of the damage on the tooth and the type of the tooth that needs to be treated. Damaged molars that will be treated with root canal therapy will cost more. Before getting this type of treatment it is always advised to check the coverage of dental insurance. Compared to the other alternative, tooth extraction, root canal therapy seems to be less expensive. With tooth extraction, replacing the lost tooth is a must. The common options that a patient usually has for tooth replacement will be through implants or the use of fixed or removable bridge. These two options individually appear to be more costly than the whole process of root canal and the proper tooth restoration combined.rnWhen a patient opts to get a root canal therapy, saving the tooth actually gives him a few advantages. · Relief from pain and discomfort due to severe toothache. · Being able to salvage the tooth and gaining back its natural functions. · Fixed and removable dental prosthesis are more costly than root canal treatment. · Retaining the natural bite and chewing force of the tooth. One of the best advantages that the root canal treatment provides the patient is the ability to retain the tooth. The patient’s normal smile and confidence is regained after the therapy and the teeth still looks natural. Function wise and aesthetically speaking, retaining the normal tooth will always be the best option.