Root Canal Therapy

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Root Canal Therapy

Root canal treatment is a procedure to relieve dental pain and save your teeth. Patients typically need a root canal when there is inflammation or infection in the roots of a tooth. During root canal treatment, an endodontist who specializes in such treatment carefully removes the pulp inside the tooth, cleans, disinfects and shapes the root canals, and places a filling to seal the space.

Diagnostic & Preparation

Removing the infected/inflamed pulpal tissue enables the endodontist to help preserve the longevity and function of the tooth. The treatment option chosen involves taking into account the expected prognosis of the tooth, and patient’s wishes. A full history is required (which includes the patient’s symptoms and medical history), along with a clinical examination (both inside and outside the mouth), and the use of diagnostic tests.

There are several diagnostic tests that can aid in the diagnosis of the dental pulp and the surrounding tissues. These include:

  • Palpation (this is where the tip of the root is felt from the overlying tissues to see if there is any swelling or tenderness present)
  • Mobility (this is assessing if there is more than normal movement of the tooth in the socket)
  • Percussion (TTP, tender to percussion; the tooth is tapped to see if there is any tenderness)
  • Transillumination (shining a light through the tooth to see if there are any noticeable fractures)
  • Tooth slooth (this is where the patient is asked to bite down upon a plastic instrument; useful if the patient complains of pain on biting as this can be used to localise the tooth)
  • Radiographs
  • Dental pulp tests

Treatments

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Muenster, TX 76252

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