Saving a Tooth With a Root Canal Treatment
Tooth decay causes a great deal of pain and discomfort, and exposes the surrounding teeth to a higher risk of infection. Tooth extraction is not the only way to solve a problem involving a badly decayed and infected tooth. A root canal treatment is done to save a tooth from being extracted by the removal of the affected tooth's infected pulp portions, cutting the risk of the infection spreading to other teeth and mouth parts.
A root canal treatment provides long-term pain relief from the intense discomfort brought by an abscessed tooth. This procedure also makes it possible for the infected tooth to still be saved, so it will no need to be extracted; problems with missing teeth will be avoided if the tooth is saved using a root canal procedure. Together with a dental crown, a root treatment can even make the infected tooth much stronger (and protected) after the treatment is completed.
Root Canal Treatment Steps
1. The specific area where the abscessed tooth is located will need to be number with a local anesthetic prior to the root treatment. The anesthetic will make sure that the patient will not feel pain or discomfort during the procedure. If pain control methods are not enough to ease the fears of the patient, the dentist or oral surgeon can use sedation methods to make the patient more comfortable during the course of the treatment.
2. If there is pus present on the area of the infected tooth, the dentist will need to drain the discharge first before the root canal treatment can proceed further.
3. The infected tooth will need to be drilled so that the inner pulp part can be exposed. A dental drill will be used to give the dentist complete access to the tooth pulp portion.
4. The decayed and infected parts of the tooth pulp will be removed to prevent further infection from spreading to other parts. After the removal of the infected tooth parts, the tooth's root canals will be cleaned, in preparation for the treatment and filling.
5. If there is an infection in the tooth parts beyond the removed pulp portions, antibiotics will be used to treat the problem before the roots can be filled.
6. Temporary root fillings will be placed on the root canals to allow the tooth to recover, before the permanent fillings are placed.
7. The permanent filling will be placed on the root canals after the tooth has fully recovered. There are times when a dental crown is placed over the treated tooth to make it stronger, and also to protect it from further infections.
A root canal treatment provides long-term pain relief from the intense discomfort brought by an abscessed tooth. This procedure also makes it possible for the infected tooth to still be saved, so it will no need to be extracted; problems with missing teeth will be avoided if the tooth is saved using a root canal procedure. Together with a dental crown, a root treatment can even make the infected tooth much stronger (and protected) after the treatment is completed.
Root Canal Treatment Steps
1. The specific area where the abscessed tooth is located will need to be number with a local anesthetic prior to the root treatment. The anesthetic will make sure that the patient will not feel pain or discomfort during the procedure. If pain control methods are not enough to ease the fears of the patient, the dentist or oral surgeon can use sedation methods to make the patient more comfortable during the course of the treatment.
2. If there is pus present on the area of the infected tooth, the dentist will need to drain the discharge first before the root canal treatment can proceed further.
3. The infected tooth will need to be drilled so that the inner pulp part can be exposed. A dental drill will be used to give the dentist complete access to the tooth pulp portion.
4. The decayed and infected parts of the tooth pulp will be removed to prevent further infection from spreading to other parts. After the removal of the infected tooth parts, the tooth's root canals will be cleaned, in preparation for the treatment and filling.
5. If there is an infection in the tooth parts beyond the removed pulp portions, antibiotics will be used to treat the problem before the roots can be filled.
6. Temporary root fillings will be placed on the root canals to allow the tooth to recover, before the permanent fillings are placed.
7. The permanent filling will be placed on the root canals after the tooth has fully recovered. There are times when a dental crown is placed over the treated tooth to make it stronger, and also to protect it from further infections.
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