To grasp the concept of root canal treatment, it's essential to understand the normal anatomy of a tooth. The visible part of the tooth in our mouth is anchored in the jawbone by its roots. While the tooth is a single hard structure capable of breaking nuts and crushing bones, the core of the tooth consists of a soft structure encased in a hollow area.
As illustrated in the accompanying image, the tooth is secured in the bone with supporting ligaments that provide sensation and cushioning. The nerve and blood vessels enter the tooth through a small hole at the tip of the root and travel through a channel known as the root canal up to the crown portion of the tooth. This soft tissue is referred to as the pulp. When a cavity or fracture line of the tooth extends to the pulp, often called the nerve, it can result in inflammation and infection, leading to a condition known as pulp hyperaemia. This condition is a clear indication for a painless root canal treatment, which is a vital part of the root canal procedure aimed at tooth restoration.
The condition is sensed by the patient due to pain, increased sensitivity to hot and cold, a wide cavity, or a broken tooth. It is diagnosed by the dentist through the clinical appearance of the cavity, dental radiographs or x-rays, an electronic pulp tester, and hot and cold stimulation. Once diagnosed, the patient is scheduled for a painless root canal treatment, which is an essential part of the root canal procedure, often accompanied by antibiotics for proper tooth restoration.
An infected pulp due to a deep cavity or a crack can’t cure itself, so the process of decomposition starts. There is pus formation in the tooth that builds up in the root tip area in the form of abscess thereby causing bone destruction and pain. In some cases of a large open cavity, the decomposition of the tooth keeps going on slowly and the pus thus formed keeps escaping causing little discomfort to the patient and the tooth withers slowly leaving the roots behind. Such open teeth or canals are a direct communication between the internal system of the body to the external oral environment which houses a great number of germs.
Root canal treatment involves the removal of the central soft tissue or pulp or the commonly called nerve. A straight line access is made by drilling in the biting surface, no matter where the cavity is, so as to clean the canals to a smooth finish
The Root Canals after cleaning are restored or filled with a plastic like material called Gutta Percha in the form of cones or preferably in a warm type which flows into all the spaces of the canal which are unreachable otherwise. The RCT technique used in Align Orthodontics is the newest Crown-Down tech. followed by a root filling with resin based sealer(AH plus) and heated gutta percha (Themafil). It is an inert and non-toxic material.
Tooth is then restored to its normal position with composite or core build up material and allowed to heal for sometime before capping.
Post and Core is done to assist the filling if the tooth is grossly damaged & is weak at the neck.
A metal or fiber glass post is inserted in the prepared Root Canal to gain strength from the tooth Root. It is then cemented and the filling is done. The tooth is later prepared for the crown/cap.
Since the tooth becomes brittle after it turns non-vital due to cavity or any other reason, the root canal treatment only removes infection and seals the communication of the bone to the mouth. A crown then saves the tooth from crumbling under the eating pressures.
This way, your tooth can serve you for a very long time.
To grasp the concept of root canal treatment, it's essential to understand the normal anatomy of a tooth. The visible part of the tooth in our mouth is anchored in the jawbone by its roots. While the tooth is a single hard structure capable of breaking nuts and crushing bones, the core of the tooth consists of a soft structure encased in a hollow area.
As illustrated in the accompanying image, the tooth is secured in the bone with supporting ligaments that provide sensation and cushioning. The nerve and blood vessels enter the tooth through a small hole at the tip of the root and travel through a channel known as the root canal up to the crown portion of the tooth. This soft tissue is referred to as the pulp. When a cavity or fracture line of the tooth extends to the pulp, often called the nerve, it can result in inflammation and infection, leading to a condition known as pulp hyperaemia. This condition is a clear indication for a painless root canal treatment, which is a vital part of the root canal procedure aimed at tooth restoration.
The condition is sensed by the patient due to pain, increased sensitivity to hot and cold, a wide cavity, or a broken tooth. It is diagnosed by the dentist through the clinical appearance of the cavity, dental radiographs or x-rays, an electronic pulp tester, and hot and cold stimulation. Once diagnosed, the patient is scheduled for a painless root canal treatment, which is an essential part of the root canal procedure, often accompanied by antibiotics for proper tooth restoration.
After a painless root canal treatment, the cleaned root canals are restored or filled with a plastic-like material called Gutta Percha, typically in the form of cones or preferably in a warm type that flows into all the unreachable spaces of the canal. The root canal procedure used in Align Orthodontics employs the latest Crown-Down technique, followed by a root filling with a resin-based sealer (AH Plus) and heated gutta percha (Themafil). Gutta Percha is an inert and non-toxic material, making it ideal for tooth restoration.
After a painless root canal treatment, the tooth is restored to its normal position using composite or core build up material and is allowed to heal for some time before the final capping in the root canal procedure.
Post and Core is performed to assist in the filling of a tooth that is grossly damaged and weak at the neck, especially after a painless root canal treatment. A metal or fiberglass post is inserted into the prepared root canal during the root canal procedure to gain strength from the tooth root. It is then cemented in place, and the filling is completed. Finally, the tooth is prepared for tooth restoration with a crown or cap.