What is endodontic treatment?

Endodontic treatment is commonly known as "root canal". "Endo" is the Greek word for "inside" and "odont" is Greek for "tooth". Endodontic treatment treats the inside of the tooth. 

To understand endodontic treatment, it helps to know something about the anatomy of the tooth. Inside the tooth, under the white enamel and a hard layer called the dentin, is a soft tissue called the pulp. The pulp contains blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissue and creates the surrounding hard tissues of the tooth during development. 

The pulp extends from the crown of the tooth to the tip of the roots where it connects to the tissues surrounding the root. The pulp is important during a tooth's growth and development. However, once a tooth is fully mature it can survive without the pulp, because the tooth continues to be nourished by the tissues surrounding it. 

The objective of performing root canal therapy is to remove the diseased tissue within the root canal system. The pulp, which supplies the blood supply and the nerve inside the tooth, can become inflamed or infected due to deep decay, repeated dental procedures and/or cracks or chips in fillings or teeth. The symptoms associated with root canal treatment include lingering pain to cold or hot, inability to chew and/or spontaneous pain. Swelling and tenderness around the gum tissue, at or near the end of the roots can also be symptoms of an infected tooth.

Endodontic retreatment becomes necessary when a tooth does not heal after the initial root canal therapy. The reasons for this are numerous and can include:

1. Narrow or curved canals that could not be negotiated during the initial treatment.
2. New decay under an old restoration.
3. An ill-fitting restoration that caused leakage of bacteria along the side of the root canal filling, therefore causing an infection. 

In a few cases where nonsurgical endodontic treatment cannot save the tooth, endodontic surgery becomes necessary. The basic idea is to clean out the infection at the end of the root and to seal the root end with a filling. This procedure is called an "apicoectomy." 

Cracked teeth usually occur due to many years of grinding, clenching, and chewing on hard objects. Symptoms associated with cracked teeth include: erratic pain upon chewing especially during release of biting and extreme sensitivity to hot and cold. There are many different types of cracks and these are as follows:

1. Craze lines.
2. Fractured cusps.
3. Cracked tooth.
4. Split tooth.
5. Vertical root fracture.

There are several traumatic dental injuries that can occur. 

1. Fractured or chipped teeth 
2. Dislodged teeth 
3. Avulsed teeth 
4. Root fractures. 

Endodontic Treatment Objectives

• Relief of pain, if present. 
• Removal of pulp from root(s) of tooth. 
• Disinfection of root and surrounding bone; this phase may take several appointments if infection is severe. 
• Complete filling of root canals. 
• Root canal treatment is an attempt to retain a tooth which may otherwise require extraction. Although root canal therapy has a high degree of success, it cannot be guaranteed. 
• Occasionally a tooth which has had root canal therapy may require retreatment, surgery or even extraction. 

Permanent Restorations 

• Upon completion of root canal therapy in this office, the patient will be advised, if necessary, to return to their general dentist for a permanent restoration. 
• THIS IS THE PATIENT'S RESPONSIBILITY AND IS NECESSARY TO SAFEGUARD THE TOOTH. 

Thank you, 
Drs. Noghreian, Bemis, and Noghreian.