Root canal treatment (Endodontic treatment)

Root canal treatment is needed sometimes to save the tooth from extraction. This is usually not a painfull procedure. In fact, it helps a lot when infections are managed and treated. There is scientific evidence linking heart desease to oral(mouth) infections.

The tooth will need root canal treatment if;

  • the tooth had trauma infecting the canal were blood vessels and the nerve reside.
  • the tooth had trauma strangulating the blood supply to the tooth.
  • the tooth had heat dammage due to incorrect instrumentation (uncooled drilling etc).
  • the tooth is infected by enchoporetic bacteria which comes through the blood in cases of bactraemia (bacteria passing from other sites of the body).   
  • the tooth has a deep cavity(caries), and bacteria has passed in to the canals.
  • the tooth has reverse infections from infected periodontium(gum).

    • In many cases the tooth can be treated. Untreated, infected tooth will invariably form a chronic granuloma and in many instance will form a fistula which will drain to the least path of resisstance, or form a cystic lesion.

    The treatment involves cleaning the canals and sealing them before a restoration is done. Antibiotics alone will not take a way the infection from an infected tooth due to its lack of blood circulation. Infection in the tooth behaves in a simillar fashion to the intra skull infections. The pressure will build and then more destruction occurs. The initial pressure will cause the patient the throbbing pain which will be profound when lying down and when taking hot drinks. These are acute symptoms and they will go away when a course of antibioticas and pain killers are taken, or with time. Chronic infection will follow with pain on biting and swelling of the jaw glands. The infection here is already reaching the bone tissue.

    The X ray will show bone changes only in the late stages of infection. The experienced clinician will pick it up much earlier. The treatment will have a better prognosis if the infection was picked up early.

                           

    COST