Endodontics and Root Canal Treatment

Root canal treatments are certainly not the only procedures that make up the field of endodontics. Root canals are the most common procedure performed within the field, but there’s a lot more possibilities to consider. For example, your endodontist may regularly:

  • Diagnose and treat a variety of oral pain sources located in the periapical and/or pupal areas of the teeth;
  • Provide vital pulp therapies including pulpotomy, pulp capping and more;
  • Provide non-surgical root canal treatments;
  • Filling root canals with 3D fillers;
  • Perform surgeries to remove bone pathology;
  • Replanting teeth;
  • Performing hemisections;
  • and various other related tasks…

Crown vs. Pulp

While the crown of a tooth is the part above the gumline that you can physically see, the pulp is the living part of the tooth; the inner part that you cannot see. The pulp is comprised of things like connective tissues, nerves and vessels for blood flow. The pulp is the part of a tooth that is “alive”.

Root Canal Treatment

In overview, endodontics is a dentistry branch that addresses dental pulp diseases and disorders. Stated previously, the root canal treatment is the most common endodontic procedure. When a tooth has decayed past the point where a filling is not applicable, or when traumatic damage has been sustained to a tooth, root canal treatments are commonly necessitated. Having a root canal treatment performed can give your tooth a second chance at longevity.

In a nutshell, performing a successful root canal treatment involves:

1. Using a local anesthetic (this procedure is painless to the patient);
2. Drilling a small entry hole into the tooth’s pulp area;
3. Removing any diseased or infected tissue from inside the tooth;
4. Cleaning and filling the inside of the tooth with 3D dental filling;
5. Hermetic sealing and capping the tooth on the outside;

Early warning signs that you may soon need a root canal treatment include sensitivity to cold and hot beverages & foods, as well as swelling and/or pain in the gums and/or face around the tooth. If you think you may be a candidate for a root canal, and want to save your tooth from possibly having to be extracted, then you need to schedule an examination with your dentist. X-rays will determine whether or not an endodontic root