Endodontics or root canal treatment (RCT), is the treatment responsible for preserving the dental structure in favor of the decontamination of the interior of the tooth. We usually perform a root canal treatment when decay has reached the nerve and internal blood vessels of the tooth and/or there is an infection in the area of the tooth root.
Without this technique we would be forced to extract more teeth than what usually happens. A tooth with RCT without symptoms and well restored will maintain its function for several years or even the rest of a person’s life. It is therefore important to guarantee the good state of the root canal throughout a person’s life with radiographic controls and clinical evaluation regarding the condition of the restoration.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. It can hurt after some time or even several years, if there is an infectious process at the root. Or if part of the tooth fractures.
It is usually necessary to perform a RCT to a tooth when the nerve and blood vessel of the tooth have become infected and/or come into contact with the oral cavity. Inside of an healthy tooth there is an environment without bacteria and the RCT aims to eliminate the microorganisms that have lodged inside the tooth.
Yes, but not because they went through a RCT. Yes, because they lost a lot of tooth structure and now they don’t have the same stiffness. To overcome this problem, it is necessary to opt for suitable solutions, such as, crowns or inlays-onlays.
Yes, lifelong root canal treated teeth can darken faster than a vital tooth. It is possible to whiten an endodontically treated tooth and make it more similar to the neighboring teeth. Otherwise, it is possible to place a crown or veneer to mask the darkening.
Yes, it can decay again. The RCT does not prevent the bacterial from dissolving the enamel and dentin of our tooth, forming holes and decaying.
Our stance as health professionals is to preserve natural tooth structures as much as possible. A endodontically treated tooth with a good restoration can last for several years, postponing its extraction and delaying solutions, such as, implants, dental bridges or removable prostheses.