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Excellent oral and dental hygiene is essential to prevent tooth decay and gum disease and help you in increasing the lifeline of your teeth. However, if you are facing a problem with your teeth and have tried almost all treatment options, then root canal therapy can come as a reliever. With various advancements in the field of dentistry, removing a tooth is not the only option; instead, it can be saved by root canal therapy.
Why do we need Root canal therapy?
Root canal therapy is a type of endodontic treatment. Inside the tooth, under the white enamel, is a hard layer called the dentin, it has a soft tissue called the pulp which contains blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissue. Endodontic treatment becomes necessary when the pulp, spongy tissue inside the root canal, becomes inflamed or infected. It can arise due to many reasons like deep decay repeated dental procedure or a crack or chip in the tooth. Apart from this, even injury to the tooth may also damage the pulp. Some of the main symptoms that arise include pain, prolonged sensitivity to heat or cold, tenderness to eating, discoloration, swelling, etc. Previously the only solution to relieve one from this pain is to remove the tooth. However, with the latest advancements in dentistry, there are many root canal Houston dentists who offers root canal therapy.
How is it done?
A few x-rays of the affected tooth are taken by the doctor, which gives them a clear picture of the root canal and assess the extent of any damage. Only when this is done the doctor starts the root canal therapy. Usually, the treatment is carried out under local anesthetic, which numbs the area of medicine. Sometimes the teeth may be difficult to anesthetize, on such situations the dentist uses special application techniques to ensure the treatment isn’t painful.
A rubber sheet is placed around the tooth to ensure the place around the tooth is dry. It also prevents you from swallowing any chemicals the dentist use. Once the doctor gets access for the soft tissue at the center of the tooth, the infected pulp gets removed. After removing the pulp, the root canal is cleaned and enlarged as it usually is very narrow. This part of the treatment is done in two to three visits. Moreover, during the several sessions, the dentist may put a small amount of medication in the cleaned canal to kill any remaining bacteria.
So, in the final session, the canal gets sealed with a filling, which seals the tooth and prevents reinfection. It is always good to cover the filled tooth with a crown, as they are more likely to break then the healthy unaffected teeth.
How long does the tooth survive?
The survival of the tooth depends on many factors like how clean you keep your teeth, how much biting pressure you are applying to the root canaled tooth. Good oral hygiene always increases the survival rate of the teeth. In general, if everything goes perfectly, then the root treated teeth survived for 8-10 years. However, one of the critical factors is the crown fitted to the tooth, which is believed to be very important for improving tooth survival rates. So, if you are also at such a state and thinking of getting rid of the pain then visit any of the famous root canals Houston dentistry’s and get it fixed.
