Endodontics
Endodontic treatment, also known as root canal treatment, is one of the most delicate and challenging procedures in dentistry. It requires deep knowledge of anatomy, physiopathology, chemistry, physics, high manipulative skills, and ample time to carefully and slowly treat each millimeter of the root canal. During this procedure, the dentist removes the nerve (which is infected or degraded due to inflammatory processes) and other residues from the canal to prevent the spread of infection to surrounding tissues and the onset of abscesses.
Why is endodontic treatment necessary?
The tooth nerve loses vitality when its blood circulation or innervation is disrupted, usually due to deep untreated cavities. Another reason could be the fracture (breakage) of the tooth crown with exposure of the pulp or root fracture due to strong impact. In some systemic diseases like advanced diabetes or muscle diseases like periodontitis, disruption of blood circulation to the nerve occurs due to infection of the surrounding tissues, even if the tooth itself may not have cavities. A non-vital nerve left in the mouth for a long time without undergoing therapy can lead to the formation of infections around the root or abscesses, so timely treatment is essential.
When is root canal treatment needed?
- If you experience any of the following symptoms, you likely need root canal treatment:
- Severe or moderate pain when consuming cold or hot foods and liquids.
- Severe or moderate pain when biting vertically on a specific tooth.
- Excessive sensitivity when tapping on a specific tooth.
- Tooth pain that disturbs sleep at night.
- A fistula in the gum below the tooth that occasionally breaks and oozes blood and pus.
- Pain that radiates to other parts of the face (eye, ear, sinus, etc.).
- Severe pain experienced during ascent in an airplane on a specific tooth.
How is root canal treatment performed?
Nerve removal procedures are performed under anesthesia to ensure the patient is pain-free. Then, the entire tooth is opened, isolated from saliva, and using necessary tools (such as files), the nerve is removed, the canal is prepared and cleaned, and it is washed with appropriate disinfecting solutions. Finally, the canal is hermetically filled and sealed.
Sometimes, the placement of devitalizing pastes is necessary, and the canal preparation continues in a second session. Teeth with infected roots require longer procedures until they heal.
The success of endodontic work lies in high hygiene standards, adherence to asepsis, and meticulous care during mechanical processing by hand or with rotating instruments. Endodontics holds an important place in our clinic. We ensure maximum hygiene and green dentistry (environmentally friendly dentistry). All instruments are disposable or undergo careful autoclaving for reuse to prevent cross-contamination or the transmission of infectious diseases from one patient to another. Therefore, many of our work tools are disposable or undergo careful autoclaving. The packaging of instruments demonstrates their single-use status.
Enedent prides itself on the high precision of root canal fillings and repeated success in the treatment of infected teeth. All of this is aided by auxiliary technology such as apex locators, endomotors, and obturation systems.