Endodontics

Endodontics is the treatment for removing bacteria/ infection and or the removal of the nerve from the inside the tooth’s nerve chamber, commonly called ‘root canal therapy’.

Root canal therapy can enable teeth to be saved in circumstances where the only other option is to have it taken out.

You may have heard the expression in dentistry that ‘the nerve is dying’ this means the blood supply to the nerve may have become impaired due to presence of bacteria  in the nerve chamber.

Root canal therapy can also be electively done in cases without bacteria/ infection present, if a tooth has been heavily restored (has existing or needs large filling or crown) or has become traumatised. 

The blood and nerve supply are contained within a small chamber inside the tooth which extends down the root canal tube into the jaw bone, the dentist may refer to this as the ‘pulp’.

Bacteria can become present in this chamber either from dental decay or directly from the mouth when a filling is lost, this then may stop the blood supply and the bacteria will have a warm moist environment in which to grow.

Once bacteria are established in the nerve/pulp it is recommended that root canal therapy is carried out in order to save the tooth. Unfortunately antibiotics alone cannot kill all the bacteria present. At a last resort you also have the option of having the tooth removed.

What is a root canal?

Above the gum and visible in the mouth is the crown of the tooth, below the gum supporting the crown is the root, the root has a tube running from its tip in the bone to a chamber inside the crown of the tooth, this is called the root canal.
Different teeth have differing numbers of roots and a variable number of tubes (or root canals) in each root. Normally, the incisor and canine teeth have one root and one root canal. Premolar teeth can have one or two roots, and molars two or three roots, with up to 5 root canals.

What is root canal therapy?

Root canal therapy is the removal of the pulp and nerve tissue from inside the root canals. The canals are then thoroughly cleaned. The space left is then filled and sealed with a special rubber material called Gutta Percha.

Why have I been referred to an endodontist?

Simple cases can be performed by your regular dentist but in order to get the best prognosis for the tooth it should to be carried out by an Endodontist.

An Endodontist is a dentist who has acquired further specialist training to perform root canal therapy to a higher standard, usually under magnification. The treatment will also be carried out using a ‘rubber dam’ which isolates the tooth from the rest of the mouth, specialist instruments are used to disinfect and clean the canals which are then sealed with heated Gutta Percha. The success rate is a lot higher when root canal therapy is done this way.

Once the root canal therapy has been successfully completed you can then return to your regular dentist to have the tooth restored as planned.