Help! I need a root canal!

So you think you've just received the worst news of your life -- the dentist said you need a root canal! Try to relax. A "root canal" treatment is a common and often misunderstood dental procedure. The proper name, and the one you will see on your treatment report, is ENDODONTICS. According to Wilkins, endodontics can be defined as, "the branch of dentistry concerned with the etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases of the dental pulp". "Pulpitis," or inflammation of the pulp (the living part inside the tooth) is a treatable condition that will lead to your tooth being saved.

Root canal treatment is necessary when the tooth becomes infected (abscessed) in one of two ways. Trauma or very extensive decay. Many times when people are in car accidents and hit their front teeth these teeth become abscessed and painful. Also, if a person who is reluctant see to a dentist on a regular basis allows decay to progress, the tooth becomes infected. Either way, the treatment is the same--root canal treatment. This can be done by your general dentist, or by a dentist who specializes in this type of procedure.

So what exactly is done to the tooth? The tooth and surrounding areas are "numbed" and the doctor removes the infected pulp and cleans out the interior chamber of the root. Then he/she places a filling material inside and a temporary filling on the outside of the tooth. At this point, the tooth no longer has living tissue inside, but it is still fully functional. In the days before endodontics, infected teeth were removed.

Endodontics is a dental procedure that saves teeth. Please do not let all the "horror" stories scare you. Discuss with your dental professional your concerns and fears--they will answer all your questions. And yes-- I have had a root canal treatment myself and lived to tell about it!

For more information see: http://www.ada.org/consumer/endo.html Happy flossing!

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