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| 1. What is root canal treatment? |
The pulp, which some people call ‘the nerve’ is the soft tissue inside the tooth that contains the nerves & blood vessels & is responsible for tooth development. When a pulp is diseased, injured & unable to repair itself, it becomes inflamed & eventually dies. During the root canal treatment the dentist remove the injured or diseased pulp tissue. The root canal are cleaned, enlarged & sealed to prevent recontamination of the root canal system.
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| 2. What causes the pulp to die or become diseased? |
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The most frequent causes of pulp death are extensive decay, deep fillings, trauma such as a severe blow to a tooth, cracks in teeth & periodontal or gum disease. |
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| 3. Can the tooth be saved without root canal treatment? |
No, without root canal treatment the tooth would eventually have to be removed. |
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| 4. What are the symptoms of a diseased pulp? |
Symptoms may range from momentary to prolonged, mild to severe pain or exposure to hot or cold or on chewing or biting or the condition may produce no symptoms at all.
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| 5. How many appointments are required for root canal treatment? |
Treatment may require one to three appointments or more depending on the diagnosis, the number of roots & the complexity of the case.
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| 6. What is the success rate for root canal therapy? |
Studies indicate that root canal treatment is usually 90 to 95% successful. However patients must understand that prognosis may vary depending on the specifics of each case & that, without good oral hygiene & a sound restoration following RCT, there may be increased chance for failure.
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| 7. Will the tooth need a crown or cap following the treatment? |
It really depends on the amount of remaining sound tooth structure following RCT, the type of tooth & the amounst of chewing force to which the tooth will be subjected. However RCT leads to loss of tooth structure which significantly weakens the tooth & renders it more susceptible to fracture. As a result, it may be necessary to protect what is left with a restoration such as a crown.
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| 8. What are the alternatives to RCT? |
The only alternative is to extract the tooth which often leads to shifting & crowding of the surrounding teeth & subsequent loss of chewing efficiency. The patient should understand that often extraction is the easy way out but may prove to be more costly for the patient in the long run.
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| 9. What is a restoration? |
Restoration is the artificial replacement of lost tooth structure.
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| 10. What is dental decay or caries? |
Dental decay is caused by acids produced by microbial action on ingested carbohydrate.
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| 11. How can dental decay be prevented or controlled? |
Dental decay can be prevented or controlled by taking proper oral hygiene measures such as tooth brushing & dental flossing, diet modification, restricting sugar intake & periodic dental check-up.
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| 12. What are the causes of tooth discoloration? |
The causes of discoloration of teeth may be extrinsic or intrinsic. Extrinsic discoloration is due to surface staining from food, beverages or tobacco & can be removed by proper scaling & polishing. Intrinsic discoloration is due to deposition of pigments in enamel & dentin such as flourosis, tetracycline discoloration & can be treated by bleaching procedure.
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| 13. What is bleaching of teeth? |
Bleaching is a process by which discoloration of tooth/teeth is eliminated or is lightened by use of chemicals.
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