Endodontic
What is root canal treatment?
Endodontic treatment (or root canal treatment) is the process of removing already dead or irreversibly “sick” pulp tissue of the tooth and filling it with a sealing material.
In how many visits does the treatment takes?
Thanks to the present updates and technologies we have, today most cases can be done in one or two visits maximum.
Each visit taking approximately from 45 minutes to 75 minutes.
Is it painful?
Now a days there is advancements in production of local anesthetics and local anesthetics administration techniques that provides painless root canal treatment.
For how many years will the endodontic treatment last without failure?
Properly done endodontic treatment under complete isolation and thorough cleaning of the root canals followed by a good coronal restoration (crowns in most cases) will guarantee a life time long treatment with a success rate of 98%.
Do all endodontic treated teeth need a crown?
Most of endodontically treated teeth are previously heavily decayed and are in need of a root-post to insure a good seal and attachment of the external tooth filling to the tooth. Later, a crown could be essential to protect the underlying weak tooth structure remaining.
Will i feel pain after the treatment?
Discomfort with biting ranging from mild to moderate can be experienced in the 7-14 days after treatment completion and becomes completely normal, but with usage of advanced techniques the incidence of pain is much decreased in most cases.
What is endodontic retreatment?
Endodontic retreatment is the case of re-doing a previously made endodontic treatment that has failed due to many reasons like:
1- Incomplete cleaning of the root canal.
2- Missed root canal that was not found and cleaned during the previous treatment.
3- Caries and bacteria around previously made endodontic treatment due to bad oral hygiene and /or bad crown.
How many visits does it take to do a retreatment?
From one to three visits depending on the nature of the case and the complications caused inside the root during the previous treatment.
Should antibiotics be taken during or after endodontic treatment?
You should not take antibiotics unless your dentist instructs you to do so. Haphazard usage of antibiotics can cause body harm.
How to prevent my teeth from having to go through endodontic treatment?
You can avoid having the need for endodontic treatment by:
1- Good cleaning of the teeth using soft brush and toothpaste at least twice daily.
2- Proper cleaning between the teeth using dental floss. This is very important because most caries occur between teeth causing what we call “tunnel caries” that goes unnoticed until the caries reaches the pulp.
3- Having regular check-ups at your dentist to treat superficial decay in your teeth if there is any, before the caries reaches the pulp.