Root Canal Treatment
Root canal treatment, also called root canal therapy is the
removal of damaged or infected nerves and tissue from the inside of your tooth.
Inside the root of every tooth is a nerve, with pulp
surrounding and protecting the nerve and a blood supply that extends out the end of the root to your
circulatory system. This space inside the root is called the canal space.
Root canal therapy involves drilling a small opening in the
tooth, removing the nerve, blood supply and pulp. The canal is then cleaned, shaped, sterilized and the end of
the root and canal space is then sealed off with a filling material, much like a cavity or hole in your tooth
would be filled. A root canal is a repair to the inside of the tooth and is the only alternative for internal
tooth nerve damage or tooth abscess besides having the tooth removed. Click
here for pictures of a root canal.
Root canal treatment allows you to keep a tooth you would
otherwise have to have pulled. When there is infection inside the tooth, there is no cure. The bacteria
continue to spread to the nerve and surrounding tissue.
Many people wonder why medications, like antibiodics, cannot
cure the infection. The fact is that the tissues swell, cutting off the blood supply so there is no way to get
the medication to the area. Yes, they can help surrounding tissue, but cannot reach the inside of the
tooth.Without proper treatment, a diseased tooth will abscess and
become a life threatening situation. With your brain only inches away from your tooth, there have been cases of
systemic infection that resulted in death.
Root canal treatment is one of life's most dreaded procedures. Although most root canals done
today are pain free, their bad reputation has not been forgotten.