root canal treatment

Root canal treatment, also known as endodontics, is a dental procedure designed to treat infection or irreversible inflammation of the nerve or pulp of a tooth. This may be caused by deep decay, a fracture of the tooth, or severe periodontal disease.

The inflammation of the pulp is considered to be the most acute dental pain, though pulp necrosis (when the tooth nerve dies) can lead to abscess (swelling)which can be painful in acute cases or can be even pain free in a chronic abscess (which can even be left undiscovered). Due to the complexity of this treatment it is worth understanding some basic tooth anatomy.

Different teeth have different shapes and different numbers of root canals. Incisors and canines usually have one canal, premolars can have two or more canals, molars have three, four or even more.

A Root Canal treatment is focused on treating the tooth by removing its pulp, cleaning and disinfecting the canal of organic and non-organic materials and then sealing the canals and the pulp chamber with a bio-compatible material that will prevent re-infection of the tooth. In this way the tooth can be saved from extraction and the surrounding soft tissues from a spread of infection.

The Root canal treatment is a complex treatment its success depends on a combination of expertise, technique and equipment.

At Ealing Dental Studio we combine the latest products and equipment to ensure that a root canal treatment will be performed successfully and free of pain.

Tooth Structure

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A tooth is made up of three parts:

  1. The enamel is the hard outer coating of a tooth.
  2. The dentine is a softer, bone-like material that supports the enamel.
  3. The pulp is made of soft tissue (containing nerves and blood vessels) and has the pulp chamber at the centre of the tooth and the canals that extend to the roots.