There are so many people who dread the dentist, and it’s probably for a good reason. They have perhaps gone through quite a painful procedure back in the day which is stuck in their brain, or they simply dislike having the dentist meddle with their mouth using all that unusual equipment.
However, you can never predict what kind of problems you might have, so it’s always better to be prepared and read as much as you can. What many fail to understand is that a tooth infection can come from inside a tooth as well, actually from the root canal. But what is a root canal, what do we know about it and what are the new findings in such treatments?
What is Root Canal Treatment?
The root canal is the hollow part of your tooth that contains all the nerve tissues, blood vessels, and the pulp, so suffice it to say that it’s a very important part of the tooth. Every tooth consists of a crown (which is the visible part of the tooth) and the root, which is found underneath the gums. The root canal treatment consists of three parts – cleaning it (especially from bacteria), filling it in and finally adding a crown or a filling. Frequently asked question is whether this treatment is painful or not. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not the treatment that is painful, but the infection inside the tooth.
That being said, the root canal treatment is there to alleviate the pain. However, most of the treatments are performed with a local anaesthetic that will help numb the tooth and the area surrounding it. Some tenderness after the treatment is completely normal. It is temporary and can be further treated with an antibiotic that will not only help with the pain, but it will also help prevent any infections.
What do I need to have Root Canal Treatment in mind?
The trends in medicine are quickly changing, and you must be doing a hell of a job if you really want to follow them all. This is why you should always look for someone successful and professional first, as you cannot really choose just anyone to perform your root canal treatment. Since this option is a great solution for infections in the tooth that cannot be treated with antibiotics, and as this treatment might be required as a result of decay, fracture or trauma, try to find an experienced cosmetic dentist who will not only perform this procedure in the best possible way, but who will make everything look aesthetically pleasing.
After all, it is important that the dentist you choose has a sense of aesthetics. The procedure of dealing with bacteria can be done in two ways – simply removing the tooth (which is an old-fashioned way of tackling this issue) or removing the bacteria from the root canal system, which is basically the root canal treatment. Another new thing that is popular in dentistry at the moment is a medical imaging technique known as CBCT (cone beam computed tomography), which allows the dentist to see a very detailed X-ray of the jawline of the patient. Not only can this help in placing implants (which is a very popular medical procedure), but it can also help a lot in the root canal treatment as everything is there in black and white.
This can furthermore make the whole procedure faster.
New researches on Root Canal Treatment
It’s the 21st century, so it was just a matter of time when we would use 3D technology in medicine. A team of researchers has demonstrated a new method of improving the root canal therapy, and it’s with the use of 3D printed artificial blood vessels. This discovery can most certainly help patients keep their teeth healthier and less fragile.
All this is done with the help of stem cells – but how to proliferate them? Luckily, another group of scientists developed a technology that can grow a vast number of stem cells and therefore help in the 3D printing of the patient-specific bone and cartilage.
We’ve come such a long way in medicine, and it’s just a matter of time when new technologies will substitute these ones. However, it’s very important to know about all the trends as you never know when you will need them!
