Heather Lawson-Myers - TOOTH TALK EVEN IF you don't know what root canal treatment is, you automatically think of pain. However, in reality root canal treatment is relatively pain free. In order to understand what root canal treatment is, we should first be aware of the anatomy of a tooth. Each tooth has three layers. The hard outer layer that you see when you smile is called the enamel. The second layer just underneath is the dentin which is also hard but not as hard as the enamel. The dentin protects the tooth's inner core known as the pulp chamber. The pulp chamber is a hallow area in the centre of the tooth which houses the blood supply and the nerve supply of the tooth. A tooth with a cavity affecting the enamel or dentin may be repaired by removing the decay and placing filling material in the affected area. However, when the decay is impinging on the pulp, more aggressive treatment is necessary to save the tooth. A tooth that has been traumatised may develop cracks which allow germs to enter the pulp chamber and must be treated to prevent the development of an abscess, thus causing damage to the bone around the tooth.
Root canal therapy safely and effectively saves a tooth by cleaning out and filling the damaged pulp. The tooth is opened in a manner similar to preparing for a filling except that the preparation goes deeper. Very small specialised instruments are used to remove the diseased or infected pulp tissue while the remaining space (the pulp chamber and canal) is thoroughly cleaned and sterilised. The chamber and canals are then filled with an inert material called Gutta Percha.
This treatment is performed while the patient is anaesthetised in that area, so the treatment is not painful. The process is often completed in one dental visit but sometimes more than one visit is necessary.
A tooth that has been endodontically treated needs to be reinforced internally with a build up of missing tooth structure and externally with a crown. Proper reinforcement is necessary because once the root canal treatment is complete, the tooth is void of a blood supply and becomes dry and brittle and subject to fracture.
Proper oral hygiene and regular dental checks are necessary to retain the good health of the tooth and surrounding tissue. An endodontically treated tooth can function in the mouth for many years.
