Truths and some myths ...
A root canal treatment, Endodontics (Endo: in, Doncia: tooth), Root canal, whatever you want to call it, is a procedure aimed at preserving a tooth in the mouth and is the last resort used for this purpose.
If this procedure is not feasible, the extraction of said tooth will come about. Teeth are bones, and like all the bones in our body they have a marrow inside. This medulla (misnamed "the nerve") is composed of loose connective tissue, blood vessels (veins and arterioles) and nerve endings whose main function is to give vitality to the tooth. This vitality is justified when through it we can appreciate the different textures and thermal changes of food, 1 which is part of the pleasure of eating.
Thus, discontent in this sense is common in prosthetic patients (with full dentures, known colloquially as plates), since by losing their natural teeth they largely lose this property of differentiating and appreciating these characteristics of food and drink. the pleasure, up to a point, of tasting. That marrow that the teeth have inside, called PULP DENTAL, which due to its complexity constitutes an organ as such, is free of bacteria under normal conditions. If decay occurs, the bacteria present in the saliva change their behavior pattern and become aggressive, leading to loss of more calcified substance and penetrating over time to the pulp (located in the center of the tooth), leading to growth excessive bacterial, in an environment conducive to its reproduction.
These bacteria feed on plasma proteins among other nutrients present in the pulp that favor bacterial growth, which will lead to an infection.
If this is not attended to, painful symptoms will appear, edema (swelling) and, in advanced cases, fever and general malaise that can put the physical integrity of the patient at risk. In this sense, ENDODONTICS is the only option to treat and keep the tooth in the mouth.
The development and refinement of new techniques applied to this area, as well as the radical improvement of current anesthetic solutions, make root canal treatment a safe and predictable procedure today.
MYTHS:
It is a painful procedure: The anesthesia that is currently used is much higher than that used, even 15 or 20 years ago, coupled with the current improvement of the techniques used during the procedure, they discard this aspect, deeply rooted in the population.
There are many appointments: The current endodontics is possible between and up to 3 appointments. Technology and training for this purpose is now available.
My tooth will turn black: A properly treated tooth should not change its color. The most common reasons for this are incomplete removal of the tissue (pulp), fractures of the tooth or perforations during the preparation of the tooth that cause bleeding inside that stain the tooth. This, in a large number of cases, is still correctable without losing your tooth.
My tooth will be broken later: A root canal treatment is usually performed on teeth with a moderate to advanced degree of destruction. However, and despite the above, if this treatment is performed and the tooth is subsequently restored correctly, there will be no possibility of fractures, except for major accidents and not typical of endodontics, for which, any tooth, treated or not, is susceptible to fracture. If, on the other hand, after the root canal treatment, the tooth is not permanently restored and is kept for a long time with a temporary cement (white paste with a spicy flavor), it will be very susceptible to fracture, since this temporary restoration does not offer any resistance to chewing forces. Night tightening, very common in these times due to stress, can cause fracture of an endodontically treated tooth, as well as wear, micro fractures and frank fractures of teeth not treated with this procedure.
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