Root Canal Treatment
When do I need a root canal treatment?
Our social lifestyle demands that we eat different kinds of foodstuffs. Some of them many contain a lot of sugar. Sugar is a major cause of tooth decay that eventually starts progressing in the tooth. Every tooth has three layers-enamel, dentin and the pulp. The enamel is the outermost layer and pulp is the innermost layer. As the caries approaches pulp, the bacteria invade it and form their colony. Eventually the bacterial colony increases and creates infection. This infection causes pain in the tooth.
What is done in a root canal treatment?
Root canal treatment comprises primarily cleaning and disinfecting the pulp (nerve) of the tooth. So the dentist uses specialized instruments called as “files” to do the job. He also uses some specialized liquids such as sodium hypochlorite and liquid EDTA that acts as an adjunct to complete the procedure. Once he has disinfected the pulp, the next step is to fill this space with a compatible material called as guttapercha or MTA. As we have understood earlier that the tooth was destructed due to decay that was progressing and destroyed some tooth structure. So the final filling material is composite which seals the entire tooth.
Do I need a crown/cap after every root canal treatment?
This answer can be divided in 2 section: Front teeth and behind teeth.
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Front teeth: Caps are needed in front teeth because after a root canal treatment tooth discolours. So for AESTHETIC reasons it is necessary we place a cap on the tooth.
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Behind teeth: Caps are needed in behind teeth for functional reasons. God has made our jaw and teeth system in such a way that we need to chew with our behind teeth. So there is a lot of force that the tooth undergoes. So if the behind tooth is not protected after a root canal treatment, then it may crack/fracture. The only option then left is extraction of that tooth.
What is a post/screw in root canal treatment?
Few teeth get destructed to such an extent that not much tooth structure is left. So in such teeth after the root canal treatment if we do a filling and cap, there is a risk that the filling might fall off. So to increase the retention of the filling, the dentist places a support inside the root canal call as a post or screw. they can be os 2 varieties: metal or fibre.
What is a dental microscope?
There are many situations where the earlier root canal can get reinfected due to many reasons. So in such cases when the dentist is performing a re-root canal treatment he needs to visualize the internal anatomy of the root canal. With the help of a dental microscope the dentist can actually see inside the root canal and perform all necessary steps that are needed to make the tooth healthy.