Dental Health Magazine Dental Health Digital Issue | Page 19

Issue #5, March 2017
The final step in your root canal
will be the sealing of the root canal
Will there be pain after
procedure?
with a sterile, plastic material called
gutta percha. This is done in order Cleaning the root canals may cause some
to prevent possible future infection. slight tenderness but the discomfort can
be relieved by taking some pain killers. If
Is the procedure painful?
pain persists or if you experience severe
pain, call your dentist.
Endodontic treatment does not cause
pain; in fact it relieves it. When you Sometimes when there has been long
have a severe toothache, the toothache standing infection or abscess, there may
most likely is due to damaged tissues be some soreness associated with the
in the tooth. Endodontic treatment root canal visit. If this should turn out
removes this damaged tissue from the to be true, you will be given specific
tooth, thereby relieving the pain you feel. instructions to follow to minimize the
discomfort. When an infection is present,
If before the procedure or during
it may be necessary to take an antibiotic.
procedure patient feels pain this
procedure is done under local
anesthetics.
How many appointments
are necessary?
Usually two or three visits are necessary.
Sometimes it can be completed in one
single visit.
How long will the tooth last?
Dental Root Canal Process
With proper restoration and dental care
such as proper brushing and flossing,
regular dental check-up, it may last
a lifetime. After the completion of
endodontic treatment, your dentists
will usually advise on a restoration,
for instance a crown that protects the
tooth from future fracture. The teeth
at the back of the mouth, a crown is
commonly required to prevent the
tooth from fracturing; heavy chewing
on a root canal treated tooth should be
avoided until a crown is fitted. A proper
restoration after root canal treatment
prevents leaks of bacteria into the
tooth again and reduces the chances of
needing retreatment of the root canals.
Can the endodontic
treatment fail?
Endodontic treatment can have success
rate of up to 95% in general. However
failure can occur if:
h h The affected tooth develops decay;
h h The restoration on the tooth fails;
h h The tooth cracks.
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