Pulpa Oral and Dental Health Polyclinic
Root Canal Treatment (Endodonti)
Endodontics (root canal treatment) is the treatment of the vascular nerve package inside the tooth that is infected, damaged or dead for any reason.
The tooth consists of 3 hard layers (enamel, dentin, cementum) and the living vessel and nerve package (PULPA) surrounded by these layers. PULPA nourishes the tooth like the heart of the tooth and gives vitality. When any irreversible damage occurs to the pulp, endodontic treatment is required.
In our clinic, it is done by dentists by making use of advanced technologies such as laser when necessary.
What is Endodontics?
"Endo" in ancient Greek interior or interior; "Dontos" means teeth. Endodontics is one of the sub-branches of dentistry that deals with the inside of the tooth.
Although the teeth in the mouth look like a very hard, white and lifeless bone from the outside, there are blood vessels that feed the tooth, nerve cells to absorb the senses and lymph vessels to fight microbial activity. This structure is located in a chamber in the middle of the tooth and extends to the end of the tooth root. The structure consisting of this vein network is called "pulp", or core.
Germs reaching the pulp due to caries, accidental tooth fractures and gum diseases may cause inflammation of the tooth. Canal treatment; It involves disinfecting the root canals with various chemicals in a way that does not allow bacteria to reproduce, and filling this cavity with tissue-friendly anti-bacterial materials, after removing the germs that have invaded the tooth and the remaining rotten pulp residues and completely cleaning the root canals.
Today, with the developing technology, the success rate of root canal treatment is 90%. No pain is felt during the treatment and after the treatment is completed, the person can use the tooth for many years.
Newly developed endodontic materials have shortened the treatment time and increased the success rates.
How make is root treatment?
In order to explain how root canal treatment is performed, it is necessary to explain the structure of the tooth a little.
If we arrange the layers of the tooth from the outside to the inside, the enamel, dentin and pulp tissue is like the figure. During root canal treatment, enamel and dentine tissue is removed with the help of special cooled equipment. During this procedure, if your physician deems it necessary, it will numb the tooth and make you feel no pain.
Afterwards, the core of the tooth, which we call pulp, is cleaned and shaped with tools specially produced for canal treatment. During this cleaning and shaping process, the teeth are washed thoroughly with special solutions with antibacterial properties.
After the cleaning and shaping process is completed, the roots of the tooth are tightly filled with special filling materials. Finally, the visible part of the tooth is filled with filling materials and its final shape is given to join the chewing again.
Importance of Root Canal Treatment
The teeth in our mouths, besides grinding the food, help us to look beautiful and to make sounds properly when we speak.
If even one tooth is lost, the chewing function decreases twice as the opposite tooth does not have an assistant to grind.
At the same time, the adjacent teeth slide into the extracted tooth cavity and an opening occurs between the teeth, the opposite tooth extends towards the extraction space and the systematic order of the entire mouth begins to deteriorate over time.
When the decayed tooth is removed, the prosthesis to be made instead of the real tooth is both harder than the real tooth, and the structure of the teeth is weakened by removing the enamel layer of two more teeth to use the adjacent teeth as prosthetic feet.
As the forces on the extracted tooth are transferred to the side support tooth, the additional force equal to the number of teeth pulled is loaded on the supporting teeth. No prosthesis is good enough to replace the real tooth. However, it may be necessary to remove the teeth that are not treatable, destroyed and create a suitable environment for bacteria to stay in the mouth.
Keeping the teeth healthy in the mouth for a lifetime reduces the tasks placed on the stomach by providing better grinding of the nutrients taken; It minimizes problems such as heartburn, peptic ulcer, indigestion.
Thanks to the absence of decay in the teeth, it eliminates the bad breath caused by the microbes in the caries. Especially when the body resistance of microbes in the oral environment is weak, the frequency of catching upper respiratory tract infections such as laryngitis and pharyngitis is reduced.
You can come to Alanya Dental Clinic or contact us to get information about Full Dental Implants and to benefit from our examination service.
Frequently asked Questions
Root canal treatment is generally a painless treatment. If you feel pain-sensitivity during treatment, your pain is completely eliminated with a second local anesthetic. Your doctor will complete your treatment without making you feel pain during your canal treatment.
During the treatment, in some necessary cases (situations where the tooth is alive or you apply to the clinic with pain), your teeth are numbed and you are prevented from feeling pain. Today, with the developing technology, anesthetic agents and anesthesia methods provide the most comfortable treatment process to the person.
Sometimes, in cases where the tooth is not alive, you can be treated painlessly without the need for anesthesia. After the treatment is over, a suitable pain reliever is prescribed for you by your physician and you will be able to spend your recovery process at home in the most comfortable way.
Although root canal treatment varies from patient to patient, it takes an average of 45 minutes for anterior teeth and premolars, and an average of 1 -1.5 hours for large molars. If suitable conditions have occurred recently, treatments can be completed in a single session. However, if your physician deems it necessary, you can extend your treatment for 2.3 more sessions.
Since the nerves of the tooth are removed during root canal treatment, the tooth may show sensitivity immediately after the treatment, just as a wound shows slight sensitivity during the healing period.
If you pay attention to the area where the medicines recommended by your doctor are used properly and during the first few days of eating and drinking, these pains will gradually decrease and end. If you encounter a different problem other than this slight sensitivity, you can consult your doctor.
After root canal treatment, it can serve the owner of the tooth for a lifetime with correct oral dental care and regular physician controls. However, as we have the possibility of losing a healthy tooth that has never been damaged, a tooth with canal treatment may also be extracted for various reasons.
After root canal treatment, dental tissue weakens a little. The lifespan may change in direct proportion to the habits of the person.
For example, if the person neglects to brush their teeth after root canal treatment, the tooth will decay again and an abscess may occur. This may result in tooth extraction.
Habits of the person also affect the life of the tooth. Individuals with the habit of clenching or grinding teeth may experience fractures and cracks, including intact teeth.
Root canal treated teeth are more fragile and complications such as cracking and fracture of the tooth are seen when excessive force is applied. In these cases, the teeth may be pulled out.
Today, with the developing technology, the properties of the filling materials have also been improved. Porcelain veneers are recommended to increase the long-term durability of canal-treated teeth during chewing.
Your physician evaluates the tooth in terms of coating and sometimes recommends that the coating be made immediately, sometimes it may wait for the healing period to pass. As a result, it has been proven that when root-treated teeth are coated, their resistance to fractures increases in the long term.
Under normal circumstances, you do not need to use antibiotics unless your physician prescribes it and there is no general health problem.
However, in cases where the patient has a known heart disease, diabetes or use of a drug that suppresses the immune system, antibiotics may be required before treatment.
It is known that painkillers taken 1 hour before root canal treatment positively affect the pain sensation during and after root canal treatment.
It is recommended to use painkillers in consultation with your physician 1 hour before the treatment.
If we list the reasons of root canal treatment;
- Treatment of deep decays that cause tooth pain,
- Repair of broken teeth after impacts or accidents,
- Treatment of deep decayed teeth under coatings or under fillings,
- Treatment of pulp damage that may develop after advanced gingivitis;
- Before prosthetic treatment of crowded and elongated teeth,
- Treatment of teeth that have lost their vitality due to various reasons (orthodontic treatment, trauma, etc.),
- Root canal treatment is performed in cases where the tooth is worn out and the living part is opened to the mouth as a result of tooth grinding or improper brushing.
If local anesthesia is used during your treatment, it is recommended that you do not eat anything until the anesthesia wears off. Otherwise, injuries may occur due to chewing on your lips and tongue.
There is no harm in consuming warm and cold drinks. Consumption of hot drinks is not recommended due to the possibility of exposing your tongue and lips to excessive heat unintentionally.
After root canal treatment, continue to brush your teeth twice a day, as usual after breakfast and before going to bed in the evening.
If your root canal treatment is completed in a single session, do not apply excessive chewing force to the area where the treated tooth is located for a few days by following the advice of your physician. After your treatment is completed, you should definitely have your regular checks every 6 months.
Pulp means the essence of the tooth. Located in the center of the tooth, it is a soft connective tissue made up of blood vessels and nerves. It is responsible for the vitality and defense of the tooth and perceiving hot and cold stimuli.
Bacteria are responsible for the infection of pulp. If the caries reaches the pulp by passing through the enamel and dentin layer of the tooth, the bacteria in the decay may cause the pulp to become infected.
If the pulp is exposed and the fracture is not treated in the fractures that occur as a result of an accident, bacteria in the mouth may cause the pulp to become infected.
As a result of gingival problems that have not been treated for a long time, the bacteria in the deep pockets between the tooth and the gum can enter through the canals on the root surface of the tooth and cause the tooth to be infected.
First of all, apply to an emergency unit to check your general condition. If your general condition is good, if you can find the broken part, consult a dentist with this part immediately.
Store the broken piece or pieces in a humid environment (milk, clean water) and take them with you. Even if it is a minor fracture for you, it is useful to have the tooth checked by the dentist. Over time, a broken tooth may lose its vitality without causing pain. Do not neglect the controls.
First of all, apply to an emergency unit to check your general condition. Protect the tooth that you think is moving, and prevent another force from coming to the tooth with any biting or touching.
If your general condition is good, apply to an oral and dental health service immediately.
The first 20 minutes after tooth displacement is a very critical time. If possible, place it in its place by holding only the visible part without touching the root of the removed tooth.
If you think that the tooth is contaminated in the place where it fell, wash it under tap water without touching the root, and place it in its place and immediately consult a dentist. If you cannot replace it, consult a dentist by putting the tooth in milk without touching the root.
Never dry or touch the tooth. If a long period of time has passed after the tooth has been removed, do not replace the tooth. Consult a dentist by keeping it in milk again.
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Pulpa Oral and Dental Health Polyclinic