Endodontic treatment is commonly known as "root canal". "Endo" is the Greek word for "inside" and "odont" is Greek for "tooth". Endodontic treatment treats the inside of the tooth. To understand endodontic treatment, it helps to know something about the anatomy of the tooth. Inside the tooth, under the white enamel and a hard layer called the dentin, is a soft tissue called the pulp. The pulp contains blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissue and creates the surrounding hard tissues of the tooth during development. The pulp extends from the crown of the tooth to the tip of the roots where it connects to the tissues surrounding the root. The pulp is important during a tooth's growth and development. However, once a tooth is fully mature it can survive without the pulp, because the tooth continues to be nourished by the tissues surrounding it.
Why would I need an endodontic procedure?
Endodontic treatment is necessary when the pulp becomes inflamed or infected. The inflammation or infection can have a variety of causes: deep decay, repeated dental procedures on the tooth, or a crack or chip in the tooth. In addition, a blow to a tooth may cause pulp damage even if the tooth has no visible chips or cracks. If pulp inflammation or infection is left untreated, it can cause pain or lead to an abscess. Signs of pulp damage include pain, prolonged sensitivity to heat or cold, discoloration of the tooth, and swelling and tenderness in the nearby gums. Sometimes, there are no symptoms.
Who Performs endodontic treatment?
Endodontists are dentists with special training in endodontic procedures. They do only endodontics in their practices because they are specialists. To become specialists, they complete dental school and an additional two or more years of advanced training in endodontics. They perform routine as well as difficult and very complex endodontic procedures, including endodontic surgery
Endodontics: Care for the Fractured Tooth
Many times a tooth fracture will occur that does not enter the pulp chamber and only the enamel or dentin is affected. Even so, trauma that caused the enamel and dentin to fracture may be sufficient to cause direct vascular damage and hemorrhage that can lead to inflammation and tissue destruction. Bacteria can then move in through anachoresis (the process of bacteria lodging in an area of previously damaged tissue), causing a myriad of problems ranging from internal inflammation to an apical abscess. Endodontic Treatment
Therapy decisions depend on which parts of the tooth are exposed. If the fracture involves only enamel, the treatment of choice is to smooth the sharp edges with fine white stone burs and sanding disks, in order to prevent trauma to the lips and tongue. Intraoral radiographs should be taken to get baseline images of the apex and to check for apical fractures The tooth should be re-radiographed at six and twelve months for evidence of periapical pathology.
