What is root canal?
Years ago, a badly infected tooth was doomed to be pulled. Today, that s a last resort. Root canal treatment consists of: 1) The removal of the infected pulp that lies within the root canals of the tooth. 2) The sealing of the root ends to prohibit any further infection. The pulp is the tooth s center core of soft tissue (nerves. blood vessels and fibers). When the dentist removes a nerve from a tooth, he really removes pulpal tissue that contains the nerve. Removing the pulp from the tooth does not produce a dead tooth. It will be very much alive and functioning because it has a source of blood and nerve supply from the surrounding tissues that hold it in place. The tooth will have no sense of feeling because the nerve has been removed, but the tooth itself will be fine: it should last as long as your other teeth and could even be eventually used as an anchor tooth for a denture bridge.
A root canal is a procedure, technically called Endodontic Treatment, that allows a severely damaged tooth to be saved. The procedure basically follows these steps: • The tooth and surrounding area are anesthetized. • An opening is made in the top or back of the tooth into the pulp chamber of the tooth. • The pulp chamber is carefully cleaned and shaped. • The pulp chamber is sealed and filled to help prevent future symptoms. • The opening is sealed with a temporary filling until a final restoration can be placed on the tooth. For more information and a more detailed description, see the Endodontic Treatment page.
