Root Canal Treatment
Keep your natural teeth
What is a Root Canal Treatment?
In a root canal treatment, the tooth tissue (the nerve, blood vessels, and supporting tissue) is removed. The treatment becomes necessary when the tooth tissue (the nerve) is inflamed or already dead. While this commonly manifests itself via pain, it can also occur completely unnoticed and only become apparent during a routine checkup. Root disease can be cured through root canal treatment and with it, the natural tooth is retained.
How is the execution of a Root Canal Treatment?
A root canal treatment is necessary when the pulp inside the tooth is inflamed, usually caused by profound bacterial decay or a fracture. In this case the preservation of the tooth is problematic. Under local anesthesia the crown of the tooth is first opened to penetrated the pulp and remove the diseased tissues and nerves. It is important to clean the channels completely, that means all the way down the root. This is often supported by an electronic length measurement. Thereafter, the root canal is filled with a biocompatible material, which prevents the re-accumulation with bacteria. Finally, the tooth is supplied with a final filling or crown.
How is the execution of a Root Canal Treatment?
An absolute must for root canal treatment is the dental dam. A dental dam is a rubber-like cloth that is placed over the teeth. It is needed for the root canal treatment in order to keep saliva and bacteria away, and also to protect you from ingesting fine instruments and to protect against the aggressive rinsing solutions. After creating the dental dams, the teeth are gently opened up under local anesthesia. We remove the dental pulp and the canals are cleaned. This is done with fine special instruments and through rinsing with disinfectant. Then the root canal is filled with a biocompatible drug, which prevents the resettlement of bacteria. A medical insert is necessary for big inflammatory processes before the expectant filling of the tooth.
Surgical Root Canal Treatment
Despite all of the care, in complex cases, the inflammation from the root canal treatment is not healable. Then a minor surgery must be performed, in order to preserve the natural tooth. This is performed through the so-called apicoectomy of the infected root tip and the inflamed tissue under local anesthesia.
How high are the chances of success?
According to the German Society for Dental Care, there is up to a 95% chance of success after the simple initial treatment. These high numbers are only possible through the latest findings and through quality oriented treatment.