Root canal treatment (Endodontics)

Root canal treatment (also known as endodontics) consists of a series of dental procedures, including:

• Removing the inflamed or infected pulp from the pulp chamber and tooth canals
• Chemo-mechanical preparation of the root canals (by means of special files and sanitizers)
• Airtight filling in of the canals with durable materials (in most cases gutta-percha and sealing paste)

The above-mentioned procedures are conducted under local anesthesia, thanks to which they are completely painless.

Full therapeutic success is achieved only once the tooth has been filled with a composite filling or else once it has undergone the process of prosthetic reconstruction which prevents bacteria to penetrate from the oral cavity, through the tooth chamber to the periapical tissues.

Depending on the degree of advancement of the disease process of the pulp, or else of the periapical tissues, root canal treatment may be completed in the course of a single, or else a few visits. In isolated cases, the treatment may be reinforced with antibiotic therapy or with surgical procedures.

A rapid development of endodontics has opened up a way to the use of modern methods of treatment, including the use of microscope and dental magnifying lenses as well as rotary instruments. The latter ones are particularly useful in difficult clinical situations.

The use of microscope in root canal treatment allows one to locate additional canals and remove fragments of broken instruments and old post and core inlays.

Root canal treatment, followed by the restoration of the tooth, allows one to retain it in the oral cavity. On the other hand, abandonment of treatment is associated with ever more severe pain and swelling which eventually lead to the extraction of the affected tooth.