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ENDODONTICS

Each tooth has a hollow centre known as the root canal. Root canal anatomy consists of the pulp chamber, which is the soft tissues of the tooth such as the nerve, blood vessel and connective tissue and root canals.

When is endodontic treatment needed?

When a tooth is damaged or cracked, the tooth’s pulp and nerves can become exposed. The pulp is then at risk of becoming infected. When the root canal has become infected or inflamed, it can result in the development of an abscess if left untreated. This may cause swelling, severe toothache and damage to the underlying jawbone. Infection in the root of the tooth may also be detrimental to your overall health, therefore root canal treatment is needed to prevent tooth loss and the need for extraction of the affected tooth.

What are the related symptoms?

In some cases a tooth in need of root canal treatment is not even painful, however, for most symptoms of an aching tooth, prolonged sensitivity, pain when chewing or when applying pressure to the tooth, pain when the tooth is exposed to hot or cold temperatures and swelling of the nearby gums are experienced.

What does treatment involve?

While it is believed that root canal treatment is painful, this is in fact, not true. Root canal treatment does, however, require extreme precision to treat. Dr Haripersad will first take an x-ray of your mouth to determine which canals are infected. Thereafter she will numb the area with a local anaesthetic.

Endodontic treatment is then done in the following steps:

1. Ultrasonic tools and operating microscopes are then used to remove the infected tissue and disinfect the area thoroughly.
2. The open tooth canals are then filled and sealed with a canal filling material to prevent re-infection.
3. A filling is placed on top to seal the opening.
4. Finally, a crown is placed onto the surface of the tooth to strengthen it and prevent any further damage to the tooth.

Laser Dentistry

Lasers can be used during root canal treatment to target bacteria and infected material with greater accuracy. There is less bleeding during root canal surgical procedures and reduced post-operative discomfort and infection.

Laser-activated irrigation for eradicating bacteria and preventing new bacterial growth is far more effective in comparison to conventional irrigation techniques for the root canal therapy.

Therefore a combination of traditional techniques and modern day lasers can provide optimal results during root canal treatment.

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