Endodontics
The procedure of saving teeth by treating the roots
Today, endodontics represents the majority of treatments in our office, where the tooth is saved from extraction and loss of the supporting structures of the jaw.
Why treatment?
As the caries progresses through the enamel, dentin or/and cementum of the tooth, the bacteria reach the dental pulp (only the center of the tooth which extends together with the blood vessels and nerves all the way to the top of the root; this is how the tooth is nourished) and inflammation of the pulp or pulpitis occurs.
There are several types of pulpitis, and this is important for the patient because sometimes it goes unnoticed (as if someone has set off an alarm), but most often, unfortunately, it hurts a lot or excruciatingly. The sooner treatment therapy is started, the better.
The dentist should then open the tooth, remove the infected contents from the inflamed cavity and canal, clean it well mechanically and by rinsing with disinfectants, and then possibly apply medicine or definitely fill and seal the cleaned canals so that the process does not repeat itself.
In this meticulous work, we use certain devices and diagnostic tools in our practice for the most precise treatment results;
The X-ray / RVG DEVICE transmits digital images of the entire tooth at the beginning, during and after the therapy, so we take a minimum of three images of the tooth we are treating.
We measure the length of the root canals with an ENDOMETER RYPEX 4, and we clean the tooth canals with manual needles, but also MACHINELY, with the PROTAPER technique, Gold and Next, respecting the manufacturer’s protocol of 3 to 5 nickel titanium needles.
After cleaning, rinsing and drying, the canals are obturated with a thermoplastic filler – gutta-percha, sticks, but also liquid gutta-percha (SYBRON ENDO obturation system), so that all auxiliary canals are securely sealed and thus prevent bacteria from penetrating the bone.
We confirm 100% healing of the tooth with a dental scan!
A well-treated endodontically tooth can serve for many years and subsequently be used as a BRIDGE OR CROWN SUPPORT.
But if there is a large missing tooth after endodontics, which is very common, the tooth needs to be replaced so that it does not crack, sometimes so inconvenient that a well-healed tooth needs to be extracted.
In the center of the tooth, it is recommended to cement a GLASS FIBER REINFORCED COMPOSITE POST (UPGRADE) and a COMPOSITE FILLING in case of minor damage. And for larger ones, we recommend a CERAMIC or ZIRCON CROWN.
Amalgam is not recommended in these cases because of the heavy load on the tooth walls, which are already weakened and easily crack under pressure.
Endodontics in steps
- Preparation of a clean working field
- X-ray/rvg recording
- Canal cleaning with needles by hand or by machine
- Endometrial root length check
- X-ray/Rvg recording
- Disinfection of the canal and, if necessary, leaving the medicine for up to 2 weeks to reduce the number of bacteria (sometimes with an antibiotic)
- Filling the cleaned canals with sticks or liquid gutta-percha
- Filling, build-up and/or crown
Why save the tooth and not take it out and replace it with an artificial one?
The perfection of a natural tooth is difficult to achieve with an artificial restoration of the best quality; when the tooth is extracted, part of the bone in which it stood is also lost. Most often, after the extraction, too much time passes until the replacement, so that the remaining teeth lean into the empty space and the bite is disturbed, the interjaw relations are disturbed, which affects the function of chewing, and ultimately the appearance of the face.