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When there is some damage to the softcore or pulp of teeth, to cure the problem and retain natural teeth dentists recommend root canal treatment. The canal is the natural cavity of your tooth that lies along the midline. The nerves that reach the tooth lie within the canal. When the pulp or nerve tissue of your tooth is damaged and breaks down, it results in multiplication of bacteria in the canal or pulp chamber. The bacteria together with decayed debris cause infection that leads to pain and swelling which affects other parts of the mouth, face, head, and neck.
Repairing and saving an infected and badly damaged tooth is the goal of root canal treatment. The procedure consists of removing the damaged area or pulp of the tooth. In the next step, the dentist cleans and disinfects the area before filling and sealing it. Having done with the first phase of the treatment, the dentist will then place a crown on the tooth for protecting the filling and sealing and to enable the tooth to perform its normal function. Depending on the condition of the patient and the extent of damage to teeth, the treatment the dentist can complete the treatment in a single sitting, or it can take up to three sittings. (See also: How To Help You Through Your Root Canal Treatment)
Who are eligible for treatment?
Root canal treatment suits any healthy person, but if you are suffering from hypertension, diabetes, infection or fever, autoimmune diseases, osteoporosis, you must consult your dentist about how safe it would be to undergo the treatment. In addition, the procedure does not suit those who are taking blood thinning medications which must stop for some days before taking up the treatment.
Complications of root canal treatment
The procedure goes off without any problems for most people, but some people might face root canal complications. Knowing about the complications should help to understand the process thoroughly so that you can prepare accordingly before the surgery. Most people prefer a painless procedure, and in most cases, it goes that way, but it is difficult to predict the outcome because exceptions are always there to prove the rule.
Here are some complications that patients might face in very few cases, but it is better to stay prepared for it.
Pain
Slight to moderate pain is common in root canal treatment which subsides quickly, but if the problem persists, it could be something more than the usual pain. Continuing pain means that there is still some problem in the affected area and tooth, especially the area around the root. If the pain is quite bearable chances of problems are less. But when the pain stays for long, it could be that despite the dentist cleaning the canal some bacteria remains which spreads infection and causes pain. Sometimes the pain may subside in a few days only to return after some time. It could happen because the cleaning of the canal was not proper, and you must consult your dentist immediately.
Undetected crack in the root
If there are cracks in the roots, the treatment must take care of all the cracks because if there is any crack left untreated, it can cause pain and swelling. Chances of bacteriological infection in such cases are quite high and would require further treatment. Leaving the crack untreated would create a gateway for bacteria that adds to the suffering of patients.
Additional problem areas
Just as an untreated crack in the root can cause complications in root canal treatment, more than one root of the tooth might be that cause of the problem, and one root is left untreated. The untreated root becomes home to bacteria that necessitates a fresh root canal treatment. A second surgery on the same tooth or same area is much more intense because it would entail undoing the earlier process by removing the fillings and any implants or crowns used earlier to complete the treatment.
Defective materials
The filling material used for the treatment must be of good quality so that the body tolerates it well and it lasts for a long time. Correctly done root canal treatment can make a tooth last for a lifetime. However, sometimes the inferior quality of sealing and filling material might erode thereby creating a passage for bacteria that affects the roots. The dentist is aware of the problem and should use only guaranteed materials that do not give away. However best dentists might try, things are not always within control and complications can happen.
Blocked canal makes treatment difficult
Completely treating the root canal system is the goal of the treatment but this might become difficult sometimes because of a blocked canal. A canal can become blocked due to calcium deposition in the tooth that happens due to natural calcium generation. In such a situation, dentists would make all efforts to drill through the calcified area and seal the canal by reaching to the end of the root within the jaw bone.
Using a broken instrument
Although such occurrences are sporadic, possibilities remain that the dentist uses a broken instrument to clean the canal. It can happen a small broken piece of the instrument remains inside the canal that no one would know about. Depending on luck, the sealing could still be proper despite the broken metal piece, but if things go wrong, it can obstruct the sealing. This could lead to further endodontic procedures to set things right and do the sealing properly. Not only it takes more time, but patients have to suffer more because of the same area receiving multiple treatments in close succession.
Under normal circumstances, after adequate time passes after completion of the root canal treatment, there must not be any signs of infection or inflammation. How much time it takes to recover varies from person to person, but everything should be fine in about 2 weeks. However, if sensitivity to hot and cold and pain on chewing accompanied by pain and inflammation persist after the regular time of recovery, it is a sign of some complication.
About The Author:
Sujain Thomas is an experienced blogger who has written articles for several renowned blogs and websites about various uses of social media to engineer more business traffic on business websites.
