What is Endodontic Treatment?

Endodontic treatment is also called as root canal treatment. In the root canal treatment, a cavity is made using dental hand piece and then an endodontic file is used to clean and shape the root canal. Then restoration of the pulp is done with gutta percha filling and a crown is placed at the top. This treatments helps in correcting any injury or disease caused to the pulp.

The pulp gets infected and the inhabitants of the pulp like nerve tissues, blood vessels, cellular entity etc which is present in the hollow called pulp chamber also gets infected. Then these structures are removed and the above process mentioned of shaping, filling and restoring the tooth is done. The steps involved are given below.
1. Creation of cavity
2. Shape and clean the root canal
3. Restoration of the pulp
4. Placing of a crown

Creation of Cavity

As the first step for the treatment of an infected pulp, a cavity has to be created so that the pulp of the tooth is accessible from above. Through this cavity only the tools that have to be used to correct the problem can be inserted.

Shape and clean the tooth

The infection will be there in the pulp and it has to be removed to stop spreading and also the possibility of spreading the infection in future should be prevented. Because of the infection, the shape also might have lost and using a dental hand piece, the shape is corrected and the pulp is cleaned.

Restoration of the pulp

As the infected pulp is taken out, it has to be restored properly, else the tooth will not sustain well. Temporary filling or dressing of the tooth after the removal of infected pulp is called pulpectomy. If the pulp is kept as such and only the coronal portion of it is removed then it is called as pulpotomy. After this calcium hydroxide is used to fill the root canalsand different irrigants like sodium hypochlorite, chlorhexidine gluconate, framecytin etc can be used. Then inert materials are used to fill the chamber and root canal and the opening is closed.

Placing of a crown

The crown is fitted as a protection to the tooth as the nerves and also the blood supply in the tooth has been cut.

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Authored By Dr.C.M.Bejoy Mony, M.D.S.