Dental root canals are no longer a scary experience. Dr. Smith performs these procedures. He uses a sonar-like instrument that finds the exact end of the canal and titanium rotary files to mechanically and rapidly clean canals. This deceases the procedure time. Extensive decay, an accident, fracture or gum disease can kill teeth. Inside every tooth is a hollow area that extends into the tooth roots. The hollow area in the root is called a canal. Each canal is cleaned out, widened, and filled during root canal therapy. It's fortunate that once a tooth is formed, the inside contents are not necessary.
Dental root canals begin when the dentist numbs the tooth and creates a hole through the top of the crown. The content of the hollow area and in the root are removed using files which widen and flare the canals. Finally, the space is filled with a rubber material called gutta percha. There are times even after appropriate initial treatment that a tooth doesn't settle down. Stronger antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications may then be necessary. Root canal swelling from an infected tooth can complicate therapy. Pus around the infected root increases the acid concentration and it may not be able to be numbed well. Stronger antibiotics and incising and draining may help.
About 1 in 20 dental root canals requires root canal retreatment. In these cases the end of one or more roots remains infected even though treatment appears adequate. A tooth becomes brittle after root canal treatment and requires restoration with a core build-up and a crown, otherwise the tooth can split. If the split is bad, a patient can possibly lose the tooth. This is a lot of dental care for one tooth, so it's much better to avoid endodontic therapy by visiting the dentist regularly and finding problems before they become large. Dental infections can harm the whole body. This makes routine dental care very important. Many patients are unaware of an infected tooth because infections are not always painful. Regular visits help detect infections and improve a patient's overall health.
Years ago the materials used to fill canals often irritated the surrounding bone. This problem has been significantly reduced with the biocompatible materials that reduce and often eliminate problems. There are a lot of myths about root canals. The truth is, it's usually a comfortable experience and shouldn't be feared. New and effective anaesthetics are also available that help make dental root canals as comfortable as most dental procedures. If you need dental care and would like a free dental consultion with an Atlanta Dental Group PC dentist, call 404-874-7428.