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SRUTI
EVER wondered what anti-ageing formulae you
might use when you need them? Don't go too far.
One of the solutions is right there in your
mouth! As crazy as it might sound, your teeth
are one of the best anti-wrinkle treatments
there is. As you start losing teeth, you start
losing jawbone, and once the bones on your face
shrink because they are not supporting teeth,
your face sags! The idea is that you can save
your teeth; whether the tooth decay is in the
initial layers of the tooth (when the cavities
are filled) or whether the tooth decay has
spread into the deeper, inner aspects of the
tooth for which Root Canal Therapy has to be
done.
How do you know when you need it?
Root canal therapy or RCT as it is popularly
called is indicated (although not conclusively
as each case is different from the other) when.
* there has been trauma to the tooth as in an
injury, fall or accident where the tooth is
either fractured or discoloured. * there is a
large decay in the tooth extending to the roots
causing recurring tooth pain or swelling or
both. * there is an opening in the gums which
drains pus through a sinus tract that leads to
an abscess surrounding the roots. *dental
cavities extend very close to the nerve causing
extreme tooth pain. These are just a few main
reasons for Root Canal Therapy among others for
which an intra-oral x-ray is taken at the
dentist's clinic
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that
shows the extent of tooth decay or the rounded
black spot at the end of the roots indicating a
decrease in the density of bone as a result of
infection.
What is it and how exactly is root canal
procedure? Teeth are hard calcified
objects but are not solid. Beneath the most
mineralised layer of the body the enamel and the
relatively less calcified layer, the dentin, is
the inner aspect of the tooth that is occupied
by the pulp tissue. This is called the pulp
space, referred to as pulp chamber in the crown
and root canal in the roots of the tooth. This
hollow space contains arteries, veins, lymph
vessels, connective tissue apart from nerves.
Nerves are required for growth and development
of the tooth during eruption after which its
only function is sensory (transmitting
sensation). In Root Canal Treatment therefore
where the pulp space is thoroughly cleaned and
the degenerated nerve is removed the sensation
for that particular tooth is lost and is hardly
missed.
Steps in Root Canal Treatment
1. Local anaesthesia: Most procedures
are preceded by local anaesthesia to the
concerned tooth causing numbness in the region
surrounding it.
2. Access: Access is gained to
the nerve area of the tooth by a dental drill
and a hole is need which leads to the pulp
chamber.
3. Debridement: Cleaning the
tooth out to remove bacteria, degenerated nerve
and debris is the next step, which is done using
RC files. These files (which more or less look
like rough pins) are a series of increasing
diameter used with a twisting motion as well as
up and down in the tooth to scrape and scrub the
sides of the canals thus cleaning it. Also the
tooth is periodically flushed with saline or
water to wash it out.
4. Root Canal Filling: Once the
tooth has been thoroughly cleaned, the interior
is sealed by way of placing
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a root canal
filling material either the same day or
subsequently to eliminate the cosy cavelike
location for the bacteria. The most common Root
Canal filling material is a rubber compound
called gutta percha which comes in preformed
cones that are sized to matched the files used
to clean the canals. An Root Canal sealer
(paste) is applied to the canals as well as to
the cones surface before it is placed into the
root canal exactly to the tip of the tooth the
length of which is confirmed with an x-ray The
crown of the tooth is then filled with an
amalgam (silver) filling which seals the tooth
from above.
Common myths about Root Canal Therapy
1. The root canal pain is unbearable:
In most cases Root Canal Therapy almost becomes
a non event, it being no more uncomfortable than
an average dental filling as the nerve tissue in
the tooth has degenerated and cannot transmit
tooth pain.
2. It's a long procedure: Contrary to
popular belief that it takes several
appointments lasting two to three weeks, your
Root Canal Therapy may be over in as many as two
sittings. As every case differs from the other
it is difficult to generalise but on an average
it certainly wont take more than three sittings.
3. Once Root Canal Therapy is done its over:
This procedure is followed by placing a custom
made crown (cap) which is available in different
material like ceramic, metal or a combination to
give additional reinforcement to the weakened
tooth. Today being the age of the informed
patient it is wise as well as essential to be
fully aware of the technical details of any
treatment we undergo, however minute. It's
always best to get to the root of your ailments
to get rid of them!! .
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