Root Canal Treatment What Are Its Advantages And Risks

What Is Root Canal Treatment? 

A root canal treatment is a procedure of treating or saving a severely damaged and infected tooth. This procedure involves extracting, cleaning and disinfecting the affected tooth and filling the pulp. 

What Problems Does It Solve? 

A root canal treatment is done when the soft tissue inside the root canal is infected. The pulp inside the canal can become infected by bacteria because of a severe cavity. Without this treatment, the infection can worsen to a point where the tooth has to be removed. 

Root Canal Treatment

Apart from deep, severe cavity here are a host of other issues that can be solved by a root canal treatment: 

• Affect Due To Repeated Dental Procedures: The repeated methods for treating a tooth can lead to getting a root canal done. These repeated dental procedures may happen to a person for several reasons like repeated cavities; the filling might have to be removed to remove new decay or other such methods. These procedures affect the tissue of the root canal so that a root canal procedure can mend it.
  
• Large Fillings: When a patient undergoes treatment for cavities, the decay might get extensive, and he has to fill it more making a more substantial filling in the tooth; This calls for a root canal treatment to fill up the tissues in the canal and the affected area.
   
• Cracks And Chips: The teeth can get chipped due to many pressures such as stress, clenching, grinding, etc. The smaller cracks can be mend by using tooth-colored bonding material, but, sometimes if the crack is severe, then one has to take up to root canal along with bonding. 

How Is The Procedure Of Root Canal Carried Out? 

The steps involved in the process are listed below: 

1. X-Ray: If the dentist suspects a need for a root canal, the first thing he will do is to take an X-ray to locate the decayed area.
    
2. Anesthesia: The next step involved is giving the local anesthesia. Using an injection, the dentist administers the local anesthesia; This is given to numb the tooth for the procedure. It is not much pain, except the patient might feel a little pinch because of the needle.
    
3. Pulpectomy: This is the process of removing the decayed tissue. An opening is made for that. The dentist uses small machines like the drill machine to create an opportunity in the tooth.
   
   Next, he will use small files to remove the decayed or affected part. He will then use the data to give shape to the inner chamber of the tooth. He will then irrigate the tooth so that no pulp is left. An antibacterial mouthwash will be used to decrease the risk of further infections.
   
4. Filling The Tooth: This is the final step of the root canal procedure. Rubber-like material gutta-percha is used for this. The dentist closes the opening with a temporary filling.
   
5. After a few weeks, the doctor will fill it with a permanent crown to the tooth. 

What Are The Advantages Of A Root Canal? 

There are many reasons why a root canal treatment is beneficial. Some of them are: 

• Root canal helps maintain your natural smile. 
• It lets the patient continue to eat the food he likes. 
• It doesn't need one to visit the dentist too often.

Apart from these, there are a few more reasons why it is beneficial to do a root canal treatment. 

• It frees you from all the pain. After the root canal process is done, the patient will be free from any pain he had been experiencing. It kills away from the pain completely.
   
• Risk of getting the infection again is eliminated. The root canal process scrape of the bacteria entirely, reducing the risk of infection.
  
• The patient will be able to resume chewing, biting, etc. after a few days of the root canal treatment.
   
• It protects the teeth from a strain. 

What Are The Risks Involved In The Treatment? 

• After the root canal procedure, the patient might experience bleeding, swelling and discomfort. But this can easily be treated with medication.
   
• Some patients might react to the local anesthetics. They might feel a rise in their heartbeat and experience shaky hands.
  
• During the procedure, the patient has to leave his mouth open for an extended period; This might leave him with a temporary stiffness in the mouth, which might be a little uncomfortable and painful. 

Santa Ana Dentist, Dr. Jerry Kronquist, says it is essential to visit a well-trained dentist who knows the procedure for root canal very well and who can guide you through the after-effects of the treatment.