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Endodontics: What Happens at a Root Canal Appointment?

At the root canal treatment appointment, whether it is an emergency visit or a regularly scheduled visit, the patient will be cared for by various members of a trained and professional team. A primary goal of the dental team is to make certain that the patient is comfortable physically and emotionally during every stage of treatment. In addition to relieving tooth pain, if present, the goals of endodontic treatment are to eliminate endodontic disease and move the patient towards a state of health. With modern endodontic techniques, these goals can generally be achieved. Root canal treatment may take one or more visits to complete and usually progresses through the following stages:

1. The dentist reviews the findings and recommendations from the examination and consultation visit. If any additional radiographs are needed before starting treatment, they may be taken at this time.
2. The patient is typically given a local anesthetic. With newer techniques and devices, these anesthetics can usually be administered painlessly. The tooth can be made "profoundly" numb so that the patient is completely comfortable during treatment.
3. After achieving the required level of anesthesia, the dentist "isolates" the tooth using a "dental dam." This is a sheet of rubber material that fits over the tooth to be treated and forms a tight seal around it. The rubber dam serves to keep the saliva away from the area being treated and it also prevents the various disinfecting and cleaning solutions used during the procedure within the tooth from entering the mouth.
4. After the tooth has been isolated, the dentist prepares a window (an "access" opening) through the biting surface of the tooth in order to gain access into the diseased root canal space.
5. Once the access preparation is complete, the dentist begins to "clean" the root canal space by removing the diseased pulp tissue, bacteria, and related irritants. This is done using special solutions and small flexible instruments, called "files." The solutions penetrate and clean areas of the canal where the instruments cannot physically reach.
6. As the root canal system is being cleaned, it is also being "shaped." Shaping is the process of enlarging the root canal space in such a way that it can be thoroughly cleaned and subsequently filled and sealed. A root canal space that is not properly shaped may still harbor bacteria.
7. Following cleaning and shaping procedures, the root canal space is ideally filled and sealed in all its dimensions by a dentist. This is most commonly accomplished using a sealing cement in combination with a unique material called "gutta percha." Gutta percha is a special material that can be softened with heat and then pressure molded to precisely fill the root canal space.
8. Once the tooth is three-dimensionally sealed, it is generally "provisionalized" (temporarily restored) until a more long-lasting protective restoration can be placed. A protective restoration helps minimize the chances of future tooth fracture.

By Clifford J. Ruddle, DDS, in collaboration with Philip M. Smith, DDS

Toothache - Why Won't My Tooth Pain Go Away?

There are many causes of toothache and pain in the area of the mouth. When experiencing tooth pain and/or swelling, it is important to see your dentist to have the area evaluated. The pain and/or swelling is most often related to a disease process that originates within a particular tooth.

The pulpal tissue within the tooth can be irritated by bacteria, external traumatic events, repetitive or extensive dental procedures, or even periodontal disease which can lead to a toothache. When this irritation occurs, the pulpal tissue reacts by becoming inflamed. Since the pulpal tissues and the tissues supporting the tooth have a rich supply of nerve fibers, the inflammatory process can cause pain as these nerve pathways are stimulated. Additionally, the pulp tissue is encased inside tooth structure and it cannot swell and expand in reaction to injury like tissues in other areas of the body. When the injured pulp tissue attempts to swell within the confined root canal space, the pressure buildup can cause a significant toothache.

Pain originating from the dental pulp can be either "spontaneous" or "elicited." Spontaneous pain occurs without an identifiable stimulus, whereas elicited pain occurs only in specific situations. Elicited pain requires a specific stimulus such as drinking cold or hot fluids or biting on the tooth.

As is typical anywhere in the body, the initial stages of a disease process do not always cause symptoms. Millions of teeth have irreversible pulpal disease yet the patients have no clinical symptoms. Most of these situations will become evident when the dentist obtains a thorough history, does a clinical examination, performs specific tooth tests, and takes a series of well-angulated radiographs. It is important to note that pulpal disease can refer pain to other areas within the head and neck.

If the results of the endodontic examination indicate that root canal disease is not the source of the patient's symptoms, then the dentist must consider other possibilities. When attempting to identify the source or cause of facial pain and/or swelling, the dentist must consider that the symptoms could actually originate in a tooth (endodontic disease), the gum tissues (periodontal disease), the muscles (myofacial pain), the joints (TMJ), the sinuses (sinusitis), or even the surrounding vascular (blood vessels) or nerve tissues. Tooth pain requires an accurate diagnosis so that the proper treatment can be recommended. At times, various medical and dental specialists may need to be consulted before an accurate diagnosis can be determined.

By Clifford J. Ruddle, DDS, in collaboration with Philip M. Smith, DDS

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