Endodonty/Endodontia: root canal treatment

Our root canal therapy saves and preserves your diseased teeth

When does a root canal treatment become inevitable?

The inside of every healthy tooth is filled with dental pulp consisting of blood vessels and nerves. Whenever deep caries is prevalent, or when larger chunks of teeth break away, bacteria will intrude into the dental pulp. In rare cases, the dental pulp is infected via deeper gum pockets. This often causes painful infections which lead to an irreversible destruction of the tissue. The further progress of the germs and the decomposition products of the dying dental pulp (so-called toxins, which resemble cadaveric poison) provoke an immune response around the root tips. Such a tooth root infection does not always cause pain and can exist for a long time without being noticed. Like an interference field, the infection can disturb the balance of the meridian system and trigger symptoms in other parts of the body (e.g. chronic infections). At any time, the source of infection might transform into an acute state, which often manifests itself in biting pains or even in suppurative abscesses.

How can we help you?

The only way to preserve the diseased tooth for a long time is through root canal therapy, which is also called "endodontic treatment".

A sustainable success of such root treatment is only guaranteed if all bacteria, their metabolites and decaying pulp are eliminated in the complex root canal system. Should bacteria survive here, the source of infection in the bone or at the root tips will outlast or even grow around the root apex.

The healing of your teeth is our target

According to the current level of knowledge, an incomplete treatment as a compromise solution would be pointless as it would only result in a deterioration of the dental healing prognosis for the affected tooth. Instead, it is far better to apply a combined mix of measures to achieve the highest degree of bacteria sterilisation in the root canal system.

These measures, which are carried out according to the latest medical standards, can comprise:

* Creating sterile spaces protected by a dental dam

* Utilisation of sterile rotating disposable canal treatment instruments with a highly flexible nickel-titanium alloy and a computer-controlled multiphase motor whose turning moment is measured 300 times per second to optimally adapt it to the requirements.

* Ultrasound activated cleaning of the root canals including lateral canals

* Application of supplementary disinfecting mouth rinse solutions to dissolve and wash organic residues out of root canals

* Complementary electronic measuring of root canal lengths to prevent underfilling or overfilling of root canals

* Laser sterilisation and drying of root canal systems/soft laser

* Complex root filling techniques, i.e. lateral condensation or thermal filling methods on the basis of natural gutta-percha (distilled from the juice of the gutta-percha tree which grows in Southeast Asia)

How long does the treatment take?

The modern treatment method is far more convenient and carried out more carefully than ever. Still, a root canal treatment might require several (approx.) one-hour sessions.

What are the chances for success?

Given all operable measures are applied, there is a good chance to heal and preserve the diseased tooth for a long period of time and to keep it free of infections.

Still, symptoms are not always clearly visible, e.g. in S-shaped or ramified root canals or in other places where mechanical applications are impossible. Although such cases are (fortunately) very rare, we believe that you should know ?

What are the alternatives?

It is possible to extract an affected tooth and to refill the gap by a bridge (two firmly integrated crowns and one new tooth) or by an implant (artificial dental root) with a crown on top.

Are root-treated teeth dead?

Yes and no. As far as the sensation of heat and cold is concerned, the answer is "yes". The tactile sensation, on the other hand, will be preserved because some nerve cords emanate from the periodontium and still exist here - the patient might even feel pain. 

What comes after the root treatment?

Root-treated teeth, already mechanically weakened by the root treatment, might brittle. In addition, they tend to turn grey. Therefore, such teeth should be sealed by crowns or partial crowns in order to protect them mechanically from breaking apart, and to prevent new bacterial infections.    

Please keep in mind that ...

... an optimally root-treated tooth can, if sealed with ceramic, remain fully functional for a lifetime without turning into a disturbing factor. In all probability, any further surgical treatment (e.g. a root apex resection) will be redundant.

BY THE WAY:

Our dentists utilise high-powered magnifying glasses with integrated LED light and if needed an operation microscope. 

Photos: www.damian-collard.de

Updated 25 June 2009 by KU64, Dentist in Berlin