Diseases of the dental pulp are common and make up a large share of all oral diseases, with a major impact on oral health as well as general health. If they are not treated in time, they can lead to serious complications that affect chewing and appearance.
What is dental pulp?
Dental pulp is a special connective tissue made up of blood vessels and nerves. It sits in the pulp cavity and is surrounded by the hard tissues of the tooth (enamel and dentin). The pulp enters the tooth at the tip of the root.
The pulp cavity is a space in the middle of the tooth. The part in the crown of the tooth is called the pulp chamber, and the pulp inside it is called the coronal pulp. The part in the root is called the root canal, and the pulp inside it is called the root pulp. Each root can have 1 or more root canals and several accessory canals. All the canals of a tooth together are called the root canal system.
The tip of the root, where the blood vessels and nerves enter, is called the apex (root end).
The pulp is involved in sensation, and in nourishing and repairing the dentin.
What is root canal treatment?
Root canal treatment is the process of removing all of the pulp (both the coronal pulp and the root pulp). Once all the pulp tissue has been removed, the dentist cleans, shapes and seals the root canal system.
Years ago, teeth with pulp disease had to be extracted. Today, root canal treatment lets you keep the tooth, avoid complications later on and keep the tooth strong.
Why is root canal treatment needed?
Because the pulp cannot heal itself, once it is attacked it becomes weak, inflamed and dies. If diseased pulp is not treated, the inflammation spreads down to the root tip and causes an infection there. As the infection spreads, the bone around the tooth becomes inflamed and is lost, the tooth becomes loose, and many other dangerous problems follow that affect your oral and general health.
Besides the infection, the pain from inflamed pulp is often severe and painkillers do not help, so it becomes unbearable and you need professional help from a dentist right away.
When a tooth has to be extracted, it leaves a gap in your mouth. This gap is uncomfortable and affects chewing, appearance, and your daily life and work. In addition, making a false tooth to replace the lost one is sometimes complicated, affects the surrounding teeth and tissues, and can hardly feel like a natural tooth.
Which teeth need root canal treatment?
First, teeth with pulp disease, such as: decay that has reached the pulp, pulp that is unhealthy because it is irritated by filling material, teeth that have been filed down a lot, pulp exposed by an accident, broken teeth, and so on.
Next, teeth with problems at the root tip, such as: an infection at the root tip, or an infection that forms a large pocket of pus (called an abscess) in the gum and surrounding areas, causing facial swelling, swollen gums and pain when chewing.
Teeth that need a root canal for prosthetic work (bridges, crowns), cosmetic dentistry, and so on.
Signs that a tooth needs root canal treatment
A tooth should have root canal treatment if it is cracked or broken, has deep decay that reaches the pulp and causes pain, or has been injured in a way that damages the pulp.
The clearest sign that you need root canal treatment right away is toothache that comes in waves. It can be a mild local pain or a severe pain that spreads to the surrounding teeth and up into the head, and it may throb with your pulse. The pain can come on by itself or be triggered by hot or cold, or by changes in pressure. Painkillers help little or hardly at all.
Pulp pain is a dental emergency. In many cases, the pain is unbearable and you need to see a dentist right away.
The next sign is swelling of the gum around a decayed or injured tooth, with or without facial swelling.
The gum around a decayed or injured tooth may develop a pimple-like bump that releases fluid or yellow pus when pressed, while you feel no toothache at all.
Facial swelling, swollen gums or a bump on the gum are signs that the root tip has become infected because the pulp died and was not treated in time. If you have a dental X-ray taken at this point, the dentist will show you the infected area at the root tip. The infection may be limited to that spot or may have spread to the surrounding area.
When you choose root canal treatment at Manh Chien Dental Clinic, you are examined and treated by a team of highly qualified, experienced dentists, supported by modern specialist equipment with complete sterilization.
For a personal consultation, please call our hotline or book an appointment online here.