Endodontic treatment (or root canal therapy, RCT) is one of the most common and straight forward treatments eliminate the bad bacteria from the pulp (nerve), relieves dental pain and restores the pulp. RCT is not just giving us a chance to eliminate the infection from the tooth, but also to keep the original structure of the natural tooth intact and prevent the tooth from needing of extraction and the subsequent treatment of bridge, which are significantly more expensive and complicated treatment.
This article gives you everything you need to know about root canal therapy.
What is Root Canal Therapy?
You have heard the phrase root canal being thrown around whenever someone gets treatment on their root canal.
A root canal is not a treatment itself at all, rather a part of the tooth. A tooth is divided into two main parts. You have the crown and the root. The crown sits above the gums, and the root naturally is then, everything below the gums.
A root canal therapy, therefore, is a procedure that deals with cleaning and treating the root and removing pulp inside it if needed. The dentist will then seal it to end the procedure.
When Do You Need A Root Canal Therapy?
People who suffer from a sharp pain in the teeth typically might require root canal therapy.
In the case of the pulp being damaged (traumatized), it fails to repair itself, causing the tissues to die. This is a telltale sign for the need of a root canal treatment.
Untreated cavities or chipped tooth structure may lead to bacteria entering the pulp. If a damaged pulp is not treated, this could lead to pain and very uncomfortableness in chewing. In a worst-case scenario, the infection can spread, and the tooth might be needed to be removed.
Conclusion
Root canal therapy has a tremendously high success rate, and if you are one of the millions who are afraid of a visit to the dentist, there is nothing to worry about. The dentist will use local anesthesia to numb the pain, and the procedure is done without much hassle at all.