Do You Need Root Canal Therapy?
If you understand what root canal therapy is, you would also understand the benefits of root canal therapy and how they are effective at restoring dental health. However, not everyone is familiar with root canal treatment. Some people think it is a very painful procedure. Some think it is a procedure that is performed for the worse kind of dental illnesses. Knowing more about root canal therapy will broaden your understanding of it. You can also see a dentist in Berkeley Heights NJ for more consultations.
Root canal therapy is a dental procedure that involves drilling into the teeth’ roots to get rid of infected tissues inside the teeth’ roots. A dentist or an endodontist is qualified to carry out this procedure. However, endodontists are specially trained to treat the internal area of the teeth. So In some cases where the root canal treatment is intense, an endodontist might be needed. Root canal treatment is also a procedure that requires the use of local anesthesia before the procedure is performed. In some cases, the teeth tissues might be completely dead and the patient might not need anesthesia since the affected area is numb. However, some patients tend to have anxiety towards dental procedures and they require the use of sedatives to help them relax and stay calm. You can see a dentist near you for more information on sedative dentistry.
Why Do Dentists Perform Root Canal Therapy?
Dentists often suggest root canal therapy for various reasons but one of the main aims of root canal therapy is to preserve your natural teeth.
Root canal therapy is used to treat infected root canals. This means that if you have an infection in your root canals, root canal therapy might be needed. Root canals are like home for the teeth’ internal tissues. Infections can get into the teeth in different ways. Once an infection gets deep into the root canals, it can cause several dental issues. How does this happen?
Our enamels (the outer layer of the teeth) are meant to protect germs and infections from getting into the teeth’ roots. However, If the enamel is cracked or damaged, infections can get into the teeth roots easily. Although beneath the enamel lies the dentin and then the cementum. This is why a dental cleaning isn’t a bad idea. People who schedule dental cleanings and examinations are at lower risks of getting an infected tooth. If the infection stays on the dentin for too long, it can then get into the cementum and then the dental pulp. The dental pulp is the most fragile part of the teeth. Once the dental pulp is infected, the tooth would lose its ability to perform some of its functions. Also, the patient would feel severe toothache. Sometimes the patient might not be able to get a root canal due to some factors. Nevertheless, the dentist can always help you with suggestions concerning other dental procedures that would help. Visit Berkeley Heights dentist to get your root canal treatments.
Tooth Extractions
Tooth extraction is a dental procedure that involves the removal of an entire tooth from its socket. It is performed for an injured, or infected tooth. Some patients who can have a root canal treatment are sometimes advised to perform tooth extractions to take out the infected or damaged tooth. Since root canal treatment only works for an infected tooth, patients who broke or cracked their tooth can either choose to fill it or remove it. Note that tooth extraction doesn’t preserve your natural tooth. This means that once a permanent tooth is removed from its socket, it can never grow back.
Apicoectomy
Apicoectomy or apical surgery is a dental procedure that is performed to remove infections surrounding the tip of a tooth’s roots. Some people often think that apicoectomy is a second root canal treatment. However, an apicoectomy is not performed in the root canals. It is performed around the part of the tooth that goes deep into the tooth’s bone (tooth’ root tip). After a root canal treatment, some infections might still be around the tip of the tooth’ roots and this can cause additional damage to the treated root canal. This is why dentists often suggest that an apicoectomy should be done.
Pulpotomy
A pulpotomy is performed by a dentist to treat decayed or infected teeth. However, it is different from root canal therapy because it only focuses on the removal of the infected dental pulp. Root canal therapy is done to remove all infected teeth tissues and dental pulp.
When the dental pulp is exposed to infections, a pulpotomy is performed to take the pulp out and prevent the infection from getting deep into the root canals.
Endodontic Retreatment
Endodontic means the inner teeth structure. It is also known as a root canal treatment. Endodontic retreatment refers to a repeated root canal treatment on a previously treated infected tooth’ root. Sometimes a root canal treatment might be unsuccessful or infections might get into the treated area again due to some factors. However, it is better to retreat the root canal than to extract the tooth. This is because it saves your tooth and also prevents you from spending more on other dental procedures.