Endodontic treatment – root canal treatment

Endodontic treatment is the treatment of the root canals of the teeth. Treatment is carried out during one or more visits. The duration of treatment depends on the number of canals (in one tooth there may be 1-4 canals) and the complexity of the situation. After taking an X-ray, for the assessment of the initial situation and the diagnosis, the treated tooth is anaesthetized (if necessary) and isolated from the oral cavity.

Symptoms indicating the need for root canal treatment:

  • – acute, sharp, paroxysmal pain that can spread to the ear;
  • – pain that is particularly severe when chewing or biting;
  • – pain usually occurring in the evening or at night;
  • – discoloured teeth;
  • – persistent, sometimes aching or tearing, pulsating pain.

How does endodontic treatment take place?

  1. The passage of the canal to the top of the root. This is one of the most difficult stages, since the canals are often very narrow (0.06 – 0.10 mm in diameter), calcified. If the canals have already been treated before, they may have cement inside them, an old filling material, broken instruments that prevent the passage of the canal to the end. In our clinic, a microscope, ultrasound and other modern instruments and devices are used for the treatment of such narrow canals and for the re-treatment of previously treated canals.
  2. Cleaning the canal. During this stage, the canals are distributed, clearing the dirt remaining in the canal, old sealing materials. There are many branches in the canals, which metal instruments cannot reach, so the canals are washed with various disinfecting solutions.
  3. Sealing the canal. After the canal has been widened, it is filled. Once the canal has been sealed, there is no room for micro-organisms and the tooth is ready to be restored with a filling or crown. Until then, the tooth is restored with a temporary filling.

Treatment of canals under a microscope is required when:

  • during the started endodontic treatment, complications arose – the canal was blocked, perforated, the instrument was broken, etc.;
  • canals have been treated in the past and the tooth is painful, there is an abscess in the gums, or the X-ray shows a focus;
  • the tooth is planned to be prosthetic and on the X-ray picture, previously poorly treated canals are visible;
  • the tooth hurts, caries has reached the soft tissues (nerve) inside the tooth, and when an X-ray is taken, it is seen that the canals are complex – narrow, curved, calcified, etc.;
  • the tooth is planned to be prosthetic, and there is a permeable or fallen out temporary filling in the tooth, there is a suspicion that the bacteria from the mouth have reached the previously sealed canals.

Due to the failure to heal the root canals of the teeth in time, the tooth may be damaged irreversibly and may have to be uprooted. In this case, in order to restore the lost tooth and regain full-fledged chewing and beauty, implantation or prosthetics of adjacent teeth are required.

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