When is a root canal treatment necessary ?

Root canal treatment must be performed in the cases of big decays which have affected the pulp, trauma of the tooth or a fracture.

Precisely measuring the length of the root canal.

It is extremely important that the root canals are measured precisely before work into them has started.Shaping and sealing them should not lead to complications by penetrating into anatomically important structures such as the mandibular canal or maxillary sinus for example.

Dental microscope for maximum visibility.

Good visibility is of a crucial importance when treating the root canals. With the aim of the dental microscope we see the tiniest root canals which left untreated could cause re-infection of the tooth.

At Dental Comfort 60% of the root canal treatments are performed on already treated endodontically teeth. The most common reason for retreatment is the incorrect initial treatment, when a root canal is left untreated and only part of the canals are treated. Many of those teeth bear expensive crowns or bridges on top. Your dentist must be sure that the tooth is treated correctly before investing in prosthetic reconstruction on top of the tooth. Chronical infections often cause bone and soft tissue lost around the tooth.

What is pulpitis?

Pulpitis affects the pulp of the tooth which consist of blood vessels and nerves. The signs and symptoms include pain from sweets, cold or hot.

Painless

The contemporary treatment of pulpitis is completely painless.

Treatment of a reversible pulpitis.

The treatment preserves the tooth vital by cleaning the decay and application of a calcium paste or MTA. The tooth should be followed up in time by the dentist.

Treatment of an irreversible pulpitis.

Irreversible pulpitis require endodontic treatment. With the help of a local anaesthesia and a rubber dam the root canals should be treated.

Apical Periodontitis

A reason for apical periodontitis could be untreated pulpitis, tooth trauma or tooth necrosis. Most often untreated pulpitis cause periapical periodontitis.

Before and after the treatment.

On the intraoral RX images below could be seen the difference of the initial situation and 5 months after the treatment. The bone around the root was lost due to infection. The treatment required 3 visits of the patient. On the RX image done 5 months later could be seen the bone regeneration around the root and the tooth was preserved.

Acute apical periodontitis

The pain is spontaneous and may continue up to several hours. The pain usually appears during the night and the patient feels a ‘pulsing pain’ and a tooth which seems to be higher than the rest. The tooth is painful when chewing or touched.

Chronic periodontitis

Very often chronic periodontitis is accompanied by swelling and a puss formation around the root of the tooth. The treatment requires two or three dental appointments.

Root canal treatment with a Dental Microscope.

Some of the teeth have atypical anatomy of the roots and canals more than the usual number known. The orifices of these additional canals are very tiny and hardly seen without the use of a dental microscope.If a canal is left untreated, it may cause re-infection of the tooth.The dental microscope is of a crucial importance when performing a root canal treatment.

Looking for endodontic retreatment in Bulgaria?

Endodontic retreatment is necessary when:

• Some of the root canals are not treated. On the image are seen the root canals of a tooth with e metal ceramic crown.One of the canals is left untreated and caused re-infection of the tooth, leading to bone loss.In this case root canal retreatment is necessary.

Your dentist must be sure that the root canals are precisely treated, since many of the endodontically treated teeth bear expensive tooth restorations on top afterwards.(crowns and bridges).

Reasons which may lead to re-infection of the tooth after a root canal treatment.

• Intraoral RX image is not performed preliminary, the dentist has no idea for the anatomical configuration of the canals and their numbers.
• The root canal is not treated till the end. In the rest of the canal untreated, the bacteria continue to cause infection.
• Root canal treatment is performed without observing the rules of asepticity. Rubber dam should be used when the procedure is performed.
• Visibility is very important since working without good visibility may lead to a perforation in the tooth.