Root Canal Procedure

Endodontics, often known as root canal therapy, is a dental technique used to treat infections inside the teeth.A tooth that may normally need to be totally extracted can be saved using root canal therapy, which is not painful.Bacteria from the mouth enter the tooth’s root canal, where they infect it and cause an infection.

This may occur following:

• tooth decay
• leaky fillings
• damage to teeth as a result of trauma, such as a fall

When root canal treatment is needed

When dental X-rays indicate that the pulp has been harmed by a bacterial infection, root canal therapy is required. If the pulp has a bacterial infection, the inflammation may cause the germs to grow and spread. The following are signs of a pulp infection:

• pain when eating or drinking hot or cold food and drink
• pain when biting or chewing
• a loose tooth

These signs generally go away when the pulp dies as the infection worsens. The infection then seems to have disappeared from your tooth, but it has really moved to the root canal system. Later, you experience other symptoms like:

• pain when biting or chewing returning
• swelling of the gum near the affected tooth
• pus oozing from the affected tooth
• a swollen cheek or jaw
• the tooth becoming a darker colour

It can get worse if you keep the affected tooth in your mouth. The likelihood that the root canal procedure will be successful may also be reduced if the infection inside your tooth spreads. Root canal infections cannot be cured using antibiotics, a drug used to treat bacterial infections. However, they can aid in the treatment of infections that grow and spread beyond the original illness.

How root canal treatment is done

To treat the infection in the root canal, the bacteria need to be removed. This can be done by either:

• removing the bacteria from the root canal system (root canal treatment)
• removing the tooth (extraction)

But removing the tooth is not usually recommended as it’s better to keep as many of your natural teeth as possible.