Endodontics

The tooth consists of hard calcified (enamel, dentin, osteine) and non-calcified tissues (pulp). In the oral cavity, the tooth mill can be seen, while the root is covered by the gums and the jaw. Inside the tooth, in the center and up to the edge of the root, there is a cavity where the pulp is located or otherwise known as the “nerve of the tooth”.

Endodontic treatment (root canal therapy) is a series of operations performed by the dentist inside the tooth when the pulp is exposed to the oral environment (usually from caries or fracture). Thus a passage of germs is created leading to the pulp, and so the process of its inflammation begins (pulpitis, cyst, edema, pain). When clinical and radiographic evaluation of the tooth is performed and it is found that the inflammation of the tooth is irreversible, then endodontic treatment is recommended as the effective treatment.

The purpose of endodontic treatment is to remove the contents of the pulp cavity, clean it and seal the root canal to stop the passage of germs. This way the tooth can remain in the oral cavity and maintain normal chewing function without causing any pain.

Endodontic treatment as a procedure is not painful, because, when necessary, local anesthetic is administered. When the pulp is not vital anesthetic is not needed. Minor discomfort may occur after the permanent filling is completed, which sometimes worsens during chewing. This discomfort lasts for a short period of time and subsides after one to three days. In most cases mild painkillers are recommended.

Most endodontic work is completed in two to three visits.

If the pulp is not vital, the treatment is completed at the second visit, which is usually ten days apart from the first, because special drugs are administered into the root of the tooth for the highest disinfection.

If the pulp is vital and restoration can be done immediately, then the treatment is completed in a single painless visit.