CANAL CRISIS

Tooth decay is the damage to the Tooth Enamel, hard outer layer of the teeth and can happen to children or adults. Few of the most common causes for tooth decay are…
By Hrishi Kumar

Not just to look an attractive in the pictures, Human teeth play a vital role in the overall nourishment of the body and health in general. The very process of digestion begins from chewing the food when mixed with saliva; where teeth ready the food for swallowing. Thus, a healthy tooth leads to good digestion and a fit body.

According to Dr Suresh Ahlawat, Senior Dentist, Muskan Dental Centre, Gurgaon, this shifts our focus towards the importance of regular dental care and oral hygiene. But in a case where this hygiene is not properly maintained, the outer protection of the teeth can be lost which exposes the Enamel to the bacteria that leads to tooth decay. Tooth decay is the damage to the Tooth Enamel, hard outer layer of the teeth and can happen to children or adults. Few of the most common causes for tooth decay are:
Improper oral hygiene
Deep Tooth Crevices and Enamel Issues
High sugar content in eatables
Following unhealthy diet
Acidic content in food and drinks
Mouth dryness
Teeth Grinding
Genetics
Age
If left untreated, Plague, a sticky film of bacteria, can form and keep attacking the Tooth Enamel through its acids. This, over the time causes the Enamel to finally break down and form a Cavity or a hole in the tooth. Without treatment, these can grow larger over time and can even destroy the entire tooth.
Furthermore, the tooth once damaged, can expose the next layer, Dentin, and eventually cause Root Cavity. When this plague digs deeper, it results in the damage to the softer tissue that covers the tooth nerves, Cementum, and thus exposes the nerves. This is the phase which is more popularly known as ‘Sensitivity’. It is a state in which a person feels pain while eating or drinking or chewing.
“Dr Suresh Ahlawat, said, “Once a tooth gets badly damaged and infected, Root Canal Treatment may be given to the patient in order to repair and save the tooth from a complete loss. Root Canal Therapy, also known as Endodontic Therapy, is a dental treatment for removing the infection from inside the tooth. It is a process which can also save the tooth from future infections. This procedure is carried out in the pulp of the tooth, which is the root canal.”

What is a Root Canal Treatment?
Dr Deepti Sharma, Root Canal Specialist, Dr, Sharma’s Dental Care, Nagpur, said, “A ‘Root Canal’ is not a treatment, but part of a tooth. It is the hollow section of a tooth that contains the blood vessels, nerve tissues and other cells, also known as the pulp.A tooth is formed by a crown and roots. The crown is mainly above the gum, while the roots are below it. The roots attach the tooth to the jawbone.”
Inside the crown and the root, or the root canal, is the pulp. The pulp nourishes the tooth and provides moisture to the surrounding material. The nerves in the pulp sense hot and cold temperatures as pain.

What are the steps?
Endodontic Therapy is majorly done in three steps, and takes between one and three sessions to complete.

Cleaning
The dentist first removes everything that is inside the root canal. With the patient under local anesthesia, the dentist makes a small access hole on the surface of the tooth and removes the diseased and dead pulp tissue with very small files.

Filling
Next, the dentist cleans, shapes and decontaminates the hollow area, using tiny files and irrigation solutions. Then, the tooth is filled with a rubber-like material, using an adhesive cement to seal the canals completely.
After root canal therapy, the tooth is dead. The patient will no longer feel any pain in that tooth because the nerve tissue has been removed, and the infection has been eliminated.

Adding a crown or filling
However, the tooth will be now more fragile than it was before. A tooth with no pulp must receive its nourishment from the ligament that attaches the tooth to the bone. This supply is adequate, but in time, the tooth will become more brittle, so a crown or filling offers protection.
Until the crown or filling is complete, the patient should not chew or bite from the repaired tooth. Once there is a crown in place or filling is done, the person can use the tooth as before.
Treatment often takes only one appointment, but if there are curved canals, multi-canals, or large infections, this could take one or two additional appointments.

Is this therapy painful?
One of the common fears among the patients is that, this procedure is painful. It is not the process or the Therapy which is painful, but the pain which is felt due to the existing infection in the tooth. This treatment does not cause pain, but helps to alleviate it.
With the help of a local anesthesia, the tooth and its surrounding areas become numb. After the treatment, some tenderness is normal and over-the-counter pain medication can help subside it.

Finally, is it hard on the pockets?
In general, a cost of dental treatments varies widely. But saving the tooth with a Root Canal Therapy is relatively cost-efficient.
The other option is tooth extraction, and the cost of an implant or bridge to replace the tooth afterwards is comparatively higher. Extraction can also lead to malocclusion, or misaligned teeth, and difficulty in chewing.
Thus, in order to save the Teeth from decay and such subsequent infections, it is always advised to maintain a healthy regular oral hygiene. Remember, Healthy teeth, Healthy body.!