Root Canal Treatment
Saving the natural tooth
Has your dentist or endodontist told you that you need root canal treatment?
If so, you’re not alone
To understand a root canal procedure, it helps to know about the anatomy of the tooth. Inside the tooth, under the white enamel and hard layer called the dentin, is a soft tissue called the pulp. The pulp contains blood vessels, nerves and connective tissue, and helps to grow the root of your tooth during development. In a fully developed tooth, the tooth can survive without the pulp because the tooth continues to be nourished by the tissues surrounding it.
Root Canal Treatment treats the inside of the tooth. Root Canal Treatment is necessary when the pulp becomes inflamed or infected. The inflammation or infection can have a variety of causes: deep decay, repeated dental procedures on the tooth may cause pulp damage even if the tooth has no visible chips or cracks. If pulp inflammation or infection is left untreated, it can caused pain or lead to an abscess.
During root canal treatment, the inflamed or infected pulp is removed and the inside of the tooth is carefully cleaned and disinfected, then filled and sealed with a rubber-like material called gutta-percha. Afterward, the tooth is restored with a crown or filling for protection. After restoration, the tooth continues to function like any other tooth. Root canal at New Smile Dentists in Pathong, Phuket takes only a few visits.
Modern root canal treatment is very similar to having a routine filling and usually can be completed in one or two appointments, depending on the condition of your tooth and your personal circumstances. You can expect an uncomfortable experience during and after your appointment of having root canal.
Maintain your natural smile
Saving the natural tooth with root canal treatment has many advantages:
• Efficient chewing
• Normal biting force and sensation
• Natural appearance
• Protects other teeth from excessive wear or stain
Endodontists are dentists who have trained after their basic dentist’s training so as to become a specialist in the field of root canal treatment. This advanced training includes the use of specialized equipment.
If root canal treatment is performed by a general dentist who is not an endodontist or it’s not given the attention to detail it requires, it can fail in catastrophic manner. The most common reason for failure is infection. This is when patients are often referred by a general dentist to an endodontist for further management – or advised to have an extraction. At New Smile Dentists, patients can be confident with our root canal services by endodontists in Phuket.
Root Canal Treatment doesn’t cause pain, it relieves it.
Dental Microscope for Root canals Treatment
Why is the microscope so crucial in root canal treatment carried out by a registered specialist?
A key development in the success of root canal treatment in Phuket is the use of high-powered microscopes. The operating dental microscope allows the operator to see the inside of a tooth and the root canal system at a magnification of up to 20 times, with added lighting.
This is important because:
• teeth often have extra roots or canals that cannot be seen with the naked eye or loupes (glasses with magnification)
• crowns or big fillings in teeth often make it difficult to see the inside of a tooth, and special light from the microscope is required to see the floor of these teeth
• Often teeth can have fractures or another abnormal anatomy, and these can be detected and treated early, rather than after the event – when treatment fails.
Advances in technology and training of root canal treatment in Phuket have for some time allowed endodontists to enjoy a high success rate. Contrary to outdated perceptions, treatment doesn’t require multiple visits and need not be painful at all.
Root Canal Retreatment
With proper care, even teeth that have had root canal treatment in Phuket can last a lifetime. But sometimes, a tooth that has been treated doesn’t heal properly and can become painful or diseased months or even years after treatment. If your tooth failed to heal or develops new problems, you have a second chance. An additional procedure may be able to support healing and save your tooth. If you have pain or discomfort in a previously treated tooth, talk to an endodontist about retreatment.
Why do I need another root canal procedure?
As occasionally happens with any dental or medical procedure, a tooth may not heal as expected after initial treatment for a variety of reasons:
• Narrow or curved canals were not treated during the initial procedure.
• Complicated canal anatomy went undetected in the first procedure.
• The placement of the crown or other restoration was delayed following the endodontic treatment.
• The restoration did not prevent salivary contamination to the inside of the tooth.
Doesn't cause pain, it relieves it.
In other cases, a new problem can jeopardize a tooth that was successfully treated. For example:
• New decay can expose the root canal filling material to bacteria, causing a new infection in the tooth
• A loose, cracked or broken crown or filling can expose the tooth to new infection.
• A tooth sustains a fracture.
