Things You Need to Know about Root Canal Treatment

Root canal treatment is a procedure that aims to overcome damage to the tooth cavity, as well as treat infections and decay in the area. Root canal is a cavity that is in the middle of the tooth that contains blood vessels and nerves. The nerves found in the cavity of the teeth have no function other than sensory functions, which are to feel hot or cold temperatures in food. When a dental cavity and nerve tissue are damaged, the damage can be used by bacteria to multiply and cause infection. Infection that occurs in the dental cavity can cause abscess formation and cause symptoms such as:

• Swelling of the face, neck and head.
• Fluid discharge from the site of infection.
• Destruction of bone at the tip of the tooth root.

When dental root canal treatment is performed, the pulp cavity and tooth nerve will be removed then cleaned and closed to prevent re-infection.

Indications for Root Dental Care

Root canal treatment needs to be done if symptoms appear as follows:

• Pain when eating or drinking hot and cold water.
• Teeth feel loose.
• Pain when biting or chewing.

These symptoms are signs of infection of the dental cavity that can usually be detected through X-rays. Dental cavities will begin to rot and damage due to bacterial infections. If not treated properly, the infection can get worse, but the symptoms of the initial infection above will actually disappear due to dental cavity death. At that time, the tooth will feel like healed, but actually the infection has spread to the area around the tooth root. The condition can be characterized by the following symptoms:

• Pain that reappears when you cringe and chew.
• Swelling of the face.
• Teeth turn dark.
• The appearance of pus that flows from infected teeth.
• Swelling of the gums near the infected tooth.

It's bad to leave an infected tooth without good treatment. Teeth cannot heal itself without the help of external medicine. In addition, if dental infections continue to be left in place, root canal treatment is at risk of being unsuccessful or ineffective. Giving antibiotics will also not be effective in treating tooth root infections.

Warning Root Dental Care

The most unpleasant thing about root canal treatment is the discomfort or pain that arises during the procedure. In addition, in a few days after treatment, teeth will be more sensitive due to inflammation of the tooth tissue, especially if there is pain and infection before treatment. Post-treatment tooth sensitivity can be treated with anti-inflammatory drugs.

Preparation Before Dental Root Treatment

Dental root canal treatment should only be done by a dentist or a root tooth specialist, depending on how severe the tooth root infection is. A common examination to diagnose root canal infection is scanning using X-rays.

Root canal treatment procedures

The first step is to determine the severity of the infection that occurs with X-rays. After that, the doctor will inject local anesthesia to prevent pain during the procedure and make the patient more relaxed. However, in cases where a tooth root infection has damaged nerves, anesthesia is sometimes not needed. The treatment process continues with the installation of rubber dams on the mouth and around the teeth to absorb saliva and keep the action area dry. The problematic teeth are then drilled to create a pathway for cleaning cavities and bacteria. Teeth and cavities are cleaned using a file that is inserted through a hole that has been drilled and rubbed the cavity of each side of the tooth. To rinse the tooth cavity after cleaning using a miser, the doctor will give water or sodium hypochlorite solution to be rinse by the patient. Teeth that have been drilled and cleaned can be patched directly on the same day or postponed a few days later. Postponement of dental fillings after treatment is usually one week. The goal is if there is an infection in the dental canal, it can be cured with drugs first. While waiting for dental fillings, the doctor will provide temporary fillings to prevent contaminants, such as food and saliva, from entering the cavities of the teeth that have been cleaned. After a temporary patch is deemed unnecessary, the doctor will remove the patch and replace it with a permanent patch. At the time of permanent dental filling, the doctor can add a rubber patch called gutta-percha to fill the empty tooth cavity that is empty. Gutta-percha is attached to the tooth root cavity with the help of an adhesive so that it does not sway or come off. After patching the tooth root cavity, the doctor will patch the tooth enamel using a special material.

After Root Canal Treatment

To keep the patches sticking well to your teeth after treatment, it's best to reduce chewing in the area of ​​the tooth undergoing treatment. In addition, avoiding chewing using patched teeth can reduce the risk of tooth contamination. Keep your teeth clean during the post-treatment recovery period by brushing your teeth and gargling using an antiseptic mouthwash. Don't forget to check regularly to the dentist to monitor tooth healing. Pain and sensitivity to the teeth that appear after treatment can be overcome by taking anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen and naproxen. If the infection reappears after root canal treatment, treatment can be repeated again to cure the infection that occurs. Dental root canal treatment can generally be successful. About 90 percent of patients undergoing root canal treatment experience healing and do not re-experience infection until 8-10 years after treatment, especially if they maintain good oral hygiene.

Complications of Dental Root Canal Treatment

The main complication that can arise after root canal treatment is a recurrence of infection in the tooth. Some causes of infection reappear after treatment are:

• There is more than one root canal that has an infection or there is a part of the root canal that is not cleaned at the time of treatment.
• There are cracks in the roots of the teeth that are not detected.
• Damage of the adhesive between the fillings and teeth which causes bacteria to infect teeth again.
• Dental fillings are not done properly, so that bacteria can enter the teeth that have been patched.

To overcome these complications, treatment can be repeated so that the infection that occurs can be cleaned again. One method that can be done is apicoectomy which aims to reduce ongoing inflammation and infection. In apicoectomy, the gum where the tooth infection occurs is opened, then the infected tissue will be removed, sometimes also to the tip of the tooth root. After apicoectomy is done, patches can be added to cover the tooth root.