Root Canal Therapy

Endodontic therapy, also known as endodontic treatment or root canal therapy, is a treatment sequence for the infected tooth which results in the elimination of infection and the protection of the decontaminated tooth from future microbial invasion.

Root canals, and their associated pulp chamber, are the physical hollows within a tooth that are naturally inhabited by nerve tissue, blood vessels and other cellular entities. Together, these items constitute the dental pulp. Endodontic therapy involves the removal of these structures, the subsequent shaping, cleaning, and decontamination of the hollows with small files and irrigating solutions, and the filling of the decontaminated canals. Endodontics includes both primary and secondary endodontic treatments as well as periradicular surgery which is generally used for teeth that still have potential for salvage.

Preparation:

In the situation that a tooth is considered so threatened (because of decay, cracking, etc.) that future infection is considered likely or inevitable, a pulpectomy (removal of the pulp tissue) is advisable to prevent such infection. Usually, some inflammation and/or infection is already present within or below the

tooth. To cure the infection and save the tooth, the dentist drills removes the infected pulp and the nerve out of the root canal(s) and fill them in with bio-compatible filling material.