Root Canal
Up until now, injured or diseased teeth frequently had to be removed. Today, they often can be saved through endodontic treatment, also known as a root canal. Root Canal therapy is the treatment of the pulp of the tooth.
A Root Canal< is necessary when the pulp, containing the nerves and blood supply of the tooth, is diseased or damaged. The whole objective of a Root Canal is to save your tooth by treating the infection. The only other alternative is to remove your tooth and replace it with an implant or bridge.
To understand why you might need a Root Canal, we need to first explain the anatomy of a tooth:
- A normal healthy tooth consists of three layers.
- The enamel, the hardest part of the tooth.
- The dentin, which is softer than the enamel and carries branches of the nerve of the tooth.
- The pulp, a soft center tissue containing blood vessels, nerves and connective tissue.
The most common causes that lead to Root Canal procedure include deep, decaying cavity; advanced gum disease; repeated dental procedures; or physical trauma to the tooth from an accident that leads to a crack, chip or fracture of the tooth.
If pulpal inflammation or infection is left untreated, it can cause severe pain and toothache, eventually leading to an abscess. Besides being very painful, an abscess can cause damage to the bone around the tooth which should be treated by Root Canal therapy or it could be lost.
