Root Canal Treatment

Our tooth roughly contains hard tissues on the outside, and the pulp part, which we call the pulp of the tooth, in the space inside, where the nerves of the tooth are located. The tooth loses its vitality as a result of the bacteria in the mouth irreversibly infecting the tooth pulp and root canals through various means. In ancient times, when root canal treatment was not considered an option, extraction of the tooth that was the source of infection was considered as treatment. However, today, considering that every salvageable tooth is valuable to us, we treat the infection without removing the tooth through a series of steps that include removing the infected tissue and cleaning the root canals. If left untreated, widespread infection spreads to surrounding tissues and causes many negative consequences, including bone loss.

How is root canal treatment performed?

First of all, the relevant tooth, which is the source of infection, is determined by the dentist using the patient’s pain history and auxiliary diagnostic materials. If there is no carious tissue in the tooth, a hole is opened in the tooth with a rotary tool in accordance with the anatomical structure of the tooth and the pulp chamber is reached. If there is caries, it is cleaned, the pulp tissue (the pulp of the tooth, including its nerves) is removed and the root canals are disinfected with various liquids, and the infected hard tissue of the root canals is called a file. It is shaved with the tools provided, and the channels are widened to suit the filling. Depending on the size of the infection, the infection is completely cleaned in one or more sessions and the root canals are filled with appropriate materials. If two or more sessions are to be performed, a temporary filling is applied to prevent saliva and food residues from entering the gap. Then, when the treatment is completely completed, the superstructure of the tooth is permanently restored and the treatment is completed.

What happens if root canal treatment is not performed?

The formation of a pus-filled abscess in the tooth root, including the jawbone, leads to the loss of the tooth root and surrounding bone tissue. In the future, the tooth may have to be extracted, and the likelihood of success of alternative treatment methods decreases due to the loss of bone tissue. Because, in order to fill the gap caused by tooth loss, either a fixed or removable prosthesis is planned or an implant is considered, but in both treatments, bone loss poses a major problem in terms of the course of treatment.

Will I experience pain during root canal treatment?

As in every dental treatment, effective anesthesia prevents the patient from experiencing pain in root canal treatment. Sensitivity and discomfort in the patient can be prevented with appropriate anesthesia and a comfortable treatment.

Will I have pain after root canal treatment?

Root canal treatment is a treatment aimed at eliminating the patient’s pain. However, after the treatment is completed, tenderness and mild pain may be felt during the healing process (7-15 days). In this case, painkillers such as ibuprofen or naproxen, which are available without a prescription, can be used. Pain and sensitivity will decrease and disappear over time. If the pain does not disappear and becomes increasingly severe, a dentist should be consulted as soon as possible. Things to consider after root canal treatment: You should not eat or drink anything for the first 2 hours after the treatment. Regardless of the number of sessions, care should be taken not to chew on the side of the treated tooth during the healing process after each root canal treatment. Extremely cold or hot foods and drinks should not be consumed during the healing process. How long can a root canal treated tooth remain in the mouth? The success rate of an effective root canal treatment is more than 95%. For this reason, a root canal treated tooth, where treatment procedures are carried out, can be used for a lifetime if effective oral hygiene is provided.

Root treatment for severely decayed teeth

If the head of the tooth, which we call the crown, is damaged by excessive decay, normal filling after effective root canal treatment increases the risk of tooth fracture. In this case, the durability of both the root part of the tooth and the crown part is increased as a result of applying the metal or fiber material called post into the root canals. In this way, the risk of tooth fracture is reduced and the time the tooth remains in the mouth is extended.

Does the tooth become discolored as a result of root canal treatment?

As a result of root canal treatment, the tooth loses its vitality. For this reason, discoloration may occur over time. However, this situation can be corrected by whitening agents applied by the dentist into the crown.

Canal treatment failure cases

Despite successful treatment by the physician, root canal treatment failure may occur. There are many reasons for this. These;

• Anatomically, a tooth has more channels than the normal number of channels, leaving at least one of these extra channels uncleaned.
• The presence of stubborn bacteria resistant to cleaning solutions in the root canals and the re-infection of the tooth as a result of the activities of these bacteria.
• Cracks in root canals.
• As a result of the restoration made after the treatment leaking, bacteria can reach the root canals again and cause infection.

Can root canal treatment be repeated? (Retreatment)

A tooth with root canal treatment that fails for various reasons can be treated again, but this treatment is more difficult than normal root canal treatment and the success rate is lower than the first treatment.