what is meant by root canal?

Question

i when went the dentist he told me that u should undergo rooot canal and it needs 4-5 sessions?so what does this means.how it is done?
what are the steps in it?pls explain with pictures iff u can?

Answer 1

A root canal is a treatment used to repair and save a tooth that is badly decayed or becomes infected. During a root canal procedure, the nerve and pulp is removed and the inside of the tooth is cleaned and sealed. (See first link below.)

Also, there are new, cheaper, quicker, less painful treatments for root canal. (See second link below.)

Answer 2

He has placed a sedative filling in the tooth to try to soothe the pulp. These types of filling are normally left for at least a month to see if the tooth will settle down or not, before a permanent restoration is placed again. Usually an oral antibiotic is prescribed as well. His reasoning for waiting one week is likely due to a possible abscess on the x ray which would make him want to take another one next week for a comparison, just to see if there is any change. If the tooth doesn't settle down, you will definitely need a root canal. Hopefully the tooth will settle down. If he doesn't recommend waiting a month before placing a permanent restoration, I would ask him to wait a little while. There is no sense in adding more stimulation to an already traumatized tooth right now by drilling the sedative filling out. Sometimes time heals the tooth, and sometimes it doesn't. This is not to say that the tooth will be fine forever, it may do well for a month or two or even a year, and then flare up again. Although I've seen some that have lasted without ever needing a root canal therapy. It's just hard to guess at these. Hopefully your tooth will heal and just need another filling placed at a later date. Hope I've been of some help and good luck! Additional information: As I said the last time you ask this question, if you will read it again, it takes time and "sometimes the tooth heals and sometimes it doesn't." If your tooth hasn't settled down by Monday, then I would say you need to proceed with the root canal therapy and then a crown. Perhaps you should just call your dentist and let him know how the tooth is reacting to the sedative filling. You needed to be on an oral antibiotic as well as the Ibuprofen, a few other measures should have been taken as well to help this tooth initially, but it appears that it may be too late now.

Answer 3

I use to work for a dentist that did them all the time. The main reason a root canal can hurt is if there is pus involved under the tooth, the reason that could make it hurt is because the pus counteracts the effects of the numbing agent. First step after you are numbed is the top of the tooth is opened and the dr. finds the canals. Please keep in mind you are numb and should not feel any of this (your jaw may get tired because you are holding your mouth open until he is done, but he/she should have what is called a bite block so you can rest your teeth on this). After they find the canals (were your roots are, and depending on which tooth it is there can be anywhere from 1-4 normally which an x-ray is the only way they can tell. Do not get root canal on a wisdom tooth because it isn't worth it to you), the dr. uses a series of different size (tiny) files and goes into each canal and cleans the roots out of the canal (like roto-rotor only smaller scale), after the roots are cleaned out dr. put what is called gutta percha (a rubber material ) into each canal. Then after it is placed into the canal the dr. usually puts what is called a temp. filling on top of them (the rubber filled canals) so that the tooth can calm down after being messed with. You should go back within 2 weeks to get a perm. filling if possible ( as in if you didn't wait until the tooth was very badly decayed and almost nothing left of the tooth). Then within 2 yrs. you should have a crown put on that tooth because it is no longer alive and can break easily if you bite on it wrong.

Answer 4

You may need a root canal for several reasons. An infection or acute pulpitis are fairly common reasons. I've had about five or six root canals. The dentist needs to open a hole in your tooth. Then they scrape out the nerve from the canal of the tooth. If you have an infection the dentist may need to leave the hole open so that it can drain. Then they fill the canal in and cap the tooth. It can be fairly uncomfortable depending on which tooth needs the work, but it's not too bad.

Here's a site with some more information: http://www.animated-teeth.com/root_canal/t1_root_canal.htm

Answer 5

don't have pictures, but I 'll try to explain it. The first part of a root canal is a pulpectomy, which is when they remove the pulp inside your tooth. The second part is the actual root canal, when they go down in the roots of the tooth & remove nerve endings, etc. After this, your tooth is like an empty shell. To do the root canal they will usually put a hole in the top of your tooth to gain access to it. The third visit, they will fill that hole. Last, you dentist will probably recommend a crown, which is a cap that completely covers the tooth. That can take 2 appointments to do. And with proper anesthesia, it may be uncomfortable but shouldn't be painful

Answer 6

I think you have an idea of a root canal now from the previous posts so I won't go into it, but just want to say, you have nothing to worry about. I have had it done and it's not painful. I found out that when you relax in the dentist chair the pain is far less than when you get all tensed. You will be fine.

Answer 7

Usually 4 trips. First they open the tooth and clean it out inside and put a temporary filling in. The second trip is more of the same And they prepare what I call the postholes. They will again put in a temporary filling. The third visit You will probably get the cap for your tooth. Basically it sits on posts that are placed in the post holes and secured there.The tooth is smoothed up on the outside. The fourth visit is mostly a checkup to see how it's doing. Sometimes you don't need it. Your first trip in is the worst and it gets much easier after.

Answer 8

I had it done.... it is the process of taking the nerve endings out of the tooth. they do it and put a medicine pack in there and then you come back and have it done more times . at the end you'll need a 'crown' on that tooth.

p.s. everyone says it hurts bad and in my case it DIDN'T.

Answer 9

root of tooth cleaned out

Answer 10

root canal

Root Canal procedure: unhealthy tooth, drilling, filing with endofile, rubber filling and crown.Root canals are the long passages full of soft tissue deep within the dentin of a tooth, adjoined the pulp chamber. In dentistry, a pulpectomy is an endodontic treatment to cure an infection of the root canal; informally a root canal. A root canal, coupled with internal tooth bleaching, is also used to fix teeth that have blackened due to infiltration of decayed soft tissue into the dentin in the teeth, most often seen in frontal incisors that have been injured through a sudden impact.

At the center of a tooth is a hollow area that houses soft tissue, known as pulp. This hollow area contains a relatively wide space towards the chewing surface of the tooth called the pulp chamber. This pulp chamber is connected to the tip of the root of the tooth via thin hollow pipe-like canals—hence, the term "root canal". Human teeth normally have one to four canals; teeth toward the back have the most canals. These canals run through the centre of the roots like pencil lead runs through the length of a pencil. The tooth receives nutrition through the blood vessels and nerves traversing these canals. Occasionally, a cavity on the outside of the tooth may allow this soft tissue to become infected. If left untreated a serious jaw infection can result. The infection and inflammation is very painful in most cases. Ideally treatment should take place before this happens.

To cure the infection and save the tooth, it is necessary for the dentist to open into the pulp chamber, and remove the infected pulp by scraping it out of the root canals. Once that is done, the dentist fills the cavity with an inert material, usually Gutta-percha, and seals up the opening. This procedure is known as root canal therapy. If enough of the tooth is damaged by the disease or removed as a result of the treatment, a crown may be required.


Lower right first molar (center) after root canal therapy and crown: right-most two nerves have incomplete root canal and may need further therapy.For patients, root canal therapy is one of the most feared procedures in all of dentistry; contrary to popular belief, however, root canal treatment is usually painless due to effective pain control techniques used by the dentist while the treatment is being performed and the (optional) use of pain control medication either before or after treatment. However, in some cases it may be very difficult to achieve pain control prior to performing a root canal. For example, if a patient has an abscessed tooth, with a swollen area or "fluid-filled gum blister" next to the tooth, the pus in the abscess may contain acids that inactivate any anesthetic injected around the tooth. In this case, it is best for the dentist to drain the abscess by cutting it to let the pus drain out. Releasing the pus releases pressure built up around the tooth; this pressure causes much pain. The dentist then prescribes a week of antibiotics such as penicillin, which will reduce the infection and pus, making it easier to anesthetize the tooth when the patient returns one week later. The dentist could also open up the tooth and let the pus drain through the tooth, and could leave the tooth open for a few days to help relieve pressure. At this first visit, the dentist must ensure that the patient is not biting into the tooth, which could also trigger pain. Sometimes the dentist performs preliminary treatment of the tooth by removing most of the infected pulp of the tooth and applying a dressing and temporary filling to the tooth. This is called a "pulpotomy" or "pulpectomy." Hopefully this will eliminate any pain until the follow-up visit for finishing the root canal. But if the pain returns, it means any of three things: the patient is biting into the tooth, there is still a significant amount of sensitive nerve material left in the tooth, or there is still more pus building up inside and around the infected tooth. All of these cause pain.

After receiving a root canal, the tooth must be protected with a gold filling or crown or some other filling material that covers the cusps of the tooth. Otherwise, over the years the tooth will almost certainly fracture, since root canals remove tooth structure from the tooth and undermine the tooth's structural integrity. Also, root canal teeth tend to be more brittle than teeth not treated with a root canal. Placement of a crown or cusp-protecting cast gold covering is recommended also because these have the best ability to seal the root canaled tooth. If the tooth is not perfectly sealed, the root canal may leak, causing eventual failure of the root canal.

In the past 10-20 years, there have been great innovations in the art and science of root canal therapy. Dentists must be educated on the current concepts in order to optimally perform root canal nowadays. Root canals have become more automated and can be performed faster, thanks to advances in automated mechanical instrumentation of teeth and more advanced root canal filling methods. Dentists also possess newer technologies that allow more efficient, scientific measurements to be taken of the dimensions of the root canal that must be filled. Many dentists use microscopes to perform root canals, and the general consensus is that root canals performed using microscopes or other forms of magnification are more likely to succeed than those performed without them. Although general dentists are becomming versed in these advanced technologies, they are still more likely to be used by specialist root canal doctors (known as endodontists). An Italian dentist named Arnaldo Castellucci has recently authored a 3-volume treatise on Endodontics which thoroughly covers these modern concepts.

Sometimes root canals fail. Patients should be educated on some of the reasons why root canals may fail. They may fail if the dentist does not find, clean and fill all of the root canals within a tooth. For example, on a top molar tooth, there is a more than 90% chance that the tooth has four canals instead of just three. But the fourth canal, often called a "mesio-buccal," tends to be very difficult to see and often requires special instruments and magnification in order to see it. So, it may be missed, and this infected canal may cause a continued infection or "flare up" of the tooth. Any tooth may have more than one canal, which may be missed while performing the root canal. Sometimes the canal may be improperly shaped, making it impossible to fill it completely, so that some infected material is still left in the canal. Sometimes the canal filling does not extend deeply enough into the canal, or it does not fill the canal as much as it should. Sometimes a tooth root may be perforated while the root canal is being performed, making it difficult to fill the tooth. The hole may be filled with a material derived from natural cement called "MTA," although usually a specialist would perform this procedure. Fortunately, a specialist can often re-treat and definitively heal up these teeth, often years after the initial root canal procedure.