Dental Surgical Instrument

Endodontics is a branch of dentistry that deals with the diseases of the tooth’s pulp or nerve which is located in the center of the tooth and in the canals which is called the root canals. Each tooth has a root canals and a pulp inside. The dental pulp consists of connective tissue, nerves and blood vessels nourish the tooth when it first erupts through the gums. The dental pulp is the one that make the tooth vital or alive. Once the tooth is fully erupted or matures, the dental pulp can be removed carefully from the pulp chamber and the tooth can be saved or maintained. This is because the tooth is also nourished by a blood supply that surrounds the tooth.

The term used of removing the pulp of the tooth is endodontic treatment but it is commonly known as root canal treatment or root canal therapy. Many teeth were saved with this type of dental treatment.

Root canal treatment is needed for infection or irreversible damage to the dentalpulp. An untreated cavity is a common cause of dental pulp infection. The dental decay wears down the enamel and dentin of the tooth until it gets into the root canal system, allowing bacteria to enter and infect the pulp. Infections inside teeth do not respond to antibiotic treatment or there is a possibility to recur. The inflammation caused by the infection limit the tooth’s blood supply, so antibiotics in the bloodstream cannot reach the infection very well. The reduced dental blood supply also limits the pulp’s ability to heal itself. The pulp can also be damaged from trauma, a fracture or extensive restorative work, such as several fillings placed over a period of time and orthodontic treatment if there is too much force or pressure applied to the teeth. In some cases, like for example in preparing a tooth for a crown, sometimes leads to the need of the root canal treatment the cause of the pulp to inflame or the tooth is over reduced whenever there is an exposure of the dental pulp. In many cases, when the dental pulp in inflamed but not infected, it will heal and return to normal. The dentist should monitor the tooth, with the use of dental surgical instruments, to see if this happened before doing root canal treatment. Sometimes though, the dental pulp remains inflamed causing pain and leading to dental infection.

The purpose of the root canal therapy is to save the  tooth and maintain the original one by taking out the damaged and infected pulp inside the root canal, treating any infection, and filling the hallow canals with an endodontic dental materials with the use of dental surgical instruments. Once the dental pulp becomes affected and not easily treated, it becomes infected and infection can affect the bone around the tooth which will result to dental abscess or pus.

It is better to maintain your natural teeth as much as possible. Having a missing tooth can affect the neighboring teeth since this will result to the other teeth drifting out of the line and can be overstressed creating gaps or spaces on other remaining teeth. Saving your natural teeth helps you save money spent on expensive and extensive treatment, like implants, bridges or removable denture. Once pulp is infected or dead, and was left untreated, dental pus will build up at the root tip in the jaw bone, forming an abscess. An abscess can destroy the bone surrounding the tooth and cause pain. Not only the involved tooth will suffer but worst it will spread to other parts of the body.

Indication of Root Canal Therapy:

-    tooth is weak
-    large or deep cavity
-    the tooth is infected or have pus
-    the tooth is fractured
-    a cracked tooth
-    sensitive to cold that last longer than a couple of seconds
-    swelling near the affected tooth
-    the tooth hurts significantly when you bite, touch or push on it
-    a discolored tooth, with or without pain

Signs and Symptoms

At first you may not feel any pain or discomfort if you have an infection in the pulp. But if left untreated, the infection will cause pain and swelling, and later on, dental abscess will form. Eventually, the tooth may need to be extracted. To determine whether your tooth needs root canal treatment, your dentist will place hot or cold substances against the tooth, feel surrounding tissues and gently tap on the tooth. The dentist will also request dental X-rays. If the condition of the dental pulp isn’t clear from the tests, your dentist may use an electric pulp tester. This dental surgical instrument sends a small electric current through the tooth and helps your dentist evaluate whether the pulp is alive or vital. This test does not cause pain or a shock, but a tingling sensation that stops immediately when the tester is removed from the tooth. Dentist should be cautious in using electric pulp tester because it is prohibited to use it in the patient with cardiac pacemaker or any other electronic life-support device.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 30th, 2007 at 8:14 am and is filed under Dental Surgical Instrument. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.