What is endodontics?
Endodontics is the treatment of the root canals of the tooth by which a dental specialist removes the diseased dental pulp. It is commonly known as “killing the nerve” or “devitalizing the tooth”.
What does it consist of and in which cases is it performed?
It consists of removing the dental pulp and preparing the cavity that houses the pulp and then sealing it hermetically, thus preventing bacterial colonization.
We perform endodontics when the pulp of the tooth has an irreversible pathology, that is, when there is no possibility of recovery of that tissue and we can only remove it. However, we do not always reach this point of no return. Endodontics are also performed preventively on teeth that are very likely to suffer irreversible pulp pathology, a very clear example being when aggressive grinding is performed. There are even times when endodontics is performed for esthetic reasons, in these cases it is very important to evaluate the relationship between benefits and risks.
When do we opt for dental implants?
We find cases in which endodontics is not indicated, either because the tooth has lost much of its structure and it is not possible to restore it later, or because periodontally it has a poor prognosis (teeth with mobility). In situations where we cannot save the tooth by means of endodontic treatment, the next option is usually extraction, and this leads us to think about replacing the tooth by means of a dental implant.
Can teeth whitening be performed in endodontic cases?
Yes, teeth whitening can be performed on endodontic teeth.
We have specific techniques for these cases in which we want to reverse staining in the tooth thanks to an internal whitening procedure, in this process a whitening product is placed inside the tooth and after several sessions you can see how the tooth regains its natural color.
In addition to this procedure, an external whitening can also be added, either in the dental office or at home.
What are the most frequent myths about endodontics?
Some of the most frequent myths are:
- “Endodontics should not be done during pregnancy.”
During pregnancy, root canal treatment can be performed on the patient, what we cannot allow is for there to be an active infection in the patient’s mouth.
It is very important to make pregnant patients aware of the need to visit the dentist to monitor oral health and prevent the occurrence of infections during pregnancy.
- “Root canal teeth are weak.”
A correct endodontics does not make the tooth weaker, even so, it must be taken into account that most of the time when a root canal treatment is performed we start from a tooth that has lost part of its structure due to caries or fracture and it is this situation that makes the tooth weaker, but with a correct reconstruction and subsequent protection of the tooth we can keep the tooth in the mouth without any problem.
- “Toothache is cured with antibiotics”.
Antibiotics are not the solution to dental pain, even so, it is common for antibiotics to be prescribed when a patient presents a dental infection that causes pain and phlegmons and the patient quickly notices that the tooth has been cured, but it is important to know that the tooth is not cured, the only thing that has been achieved is to calm these symptoms for a time and that the cause of the infection is still present. Until we do not eliminate this cause, recurrent infections will present themselves, aggravating the case and leading to less predictable results of our subsequent treatment.
- “A root canal tooth turns black.”
A root canal tooth does not turn black, a tooth takes on a dark color when it has gone through a process of necrosis, that is, the pulp and nerve of the tooth have become lifeless resulting in no blood flow. The residual blood in the tooth generates this color change in the dental crown and makes it look darker than the rest.
These teeth that suffer necrosis require root canal treatment and that is why it is erroneously associated that a tooth with root canal treatment with the passage of time takes on a black color.