Food is the most essential thing for a healthy living. But there’s something more that helps you in getting the food to become energy. Ever thought of what it could be?

The answer is, chewing. Now the first thing that you might think is, how does chewing help. In fact, the most important route to generating energy depends on how the food is chewed. The reason being, it becomes easier for the digestive juices in the body to break down the food into nutrients.

But what if there’s a problem with your tooth and you aren’t able to chew? You probably are facing pain while you chew, which creates a problem for the rest of the system. Think about what could cause pain in your tooth. A normal cavity, or a cavity so deep that it has affected the inside of your tooth.

To start with, teeth are considered to be the strongest of all the organs in a human body, and are made of…

• The crown (Outermost layer)
• The enamel
• The dentin
• The pulp (innermost part of the tooth)
• Below picture of the anatomy of the tooth.

The pulp of the tooth is the central part of the tooth which is made of living cells and tissues called odontoblasts. The pulp of the tooth functions like an alarm that notifies the tooth of any decay that gets closer to the pulp. As the decay progresses, the pulp signals the body through extreme sensitivity to hot or cold foods. In some cases, these signals are ignored and the cavity untreated, resulting an inflammation of the pulp of the tooth.

This is known as pulpitis, and often causes discomfort and pain in the tooth which feels like there’s a pin constantly pricking inside the tooth. When pulpitis is left untreated, it can affect the nerves in and around the tooth/teeth. The bacteria begins to multiply inside the pulp chamber and becomes a serious problem.

Common causes that affect the pulp of the tooth

Although general oral health starts at a personal level, there are many factors that can contribute in the pulp infection. These are:

• A deep cavity
• Repeated dental treatment to the tooth
• If you have a cracked tooth
• Trauma or injury caused to the tooth

Also, in some cases the damage is so much that the tooth might have to be removed before the infection spreads to the rest of the teeth. However, if you’ve got the problem diagnosed at a stage in which your tooth can be saved, a root canal treatment is the best option what we can suggest you.

What is a root canal treatment?

A root canal treatment is a procedure done, to repair and save a badly infected and decayed tooth. During a root canal treatment, the nerve and pulp of the tooth are removed following a cleaning inside of the tooth. This is done in earlier stage to avoid the tissue surrounding the tooth from getting infected. If the tooth is left untreated, it can also form abscess which are much more painful. Take a look at the image below that indicates the root canal  treatment procedure.

Understanding a root canal treatment step-by-step

A root canal treatment consists of a number of sittings, depending on the degree of the severity of problem you might have. Let’s look at the steps involved in a root canal treatment:

1. The treatment begins with a consultation and a detailed examination performed by an endodontist.
2. The examination is followed by x-rays to confirm the problem with the tooth.
3. A root canal treatment is then performed with a local anesthesia being administered to the tooth that is affected. This is done to relax the patient from any pain sensation during the procedure.
4. A dental dam or a piece of rubber is placed on the affected tooth to separate and keep it free from saliva while the procedure is being done. Saliva might cause irritation and difficulty in performing the procedure.
5. An opening through the tooth is made, to remove the infected pulp. This pulp removal is known as pulpectomy.
6. Following the pulpectomy, the pulp chamber and root canals inside the tooth are cleaned and shaped.
7. The tooth is then prepared for a filling.
8. The endodontist then fills the root canal with a tooth filling material and seals the cavity.

The entire procedure looks and sounds quite elaborate, with which many of you might feel that a root canal treatment is a painful procedure. Well, as a dentist, we’d rather say that fearing the pain is a much more painful thing than to get treated once and for all. As far as the pain is concerned, root canal treatment is not as painful as you think it is. You might feel little discomfort immediately after the treatment, but the pain fades in a day or two.

Also, with the latest advancements in dentistry, a root canal treatment has become as painless and easy as getting a simple tooth filling. A restored tooth with a root canal treatment done on time can last for a lifetime, provided you take good care and maintain proper hygiene. Root canal treatments have always has a huge success rate and are also not very expensive. If you too have been facing tooth ache that you haven’t been able to figure out, a cause for, we’re here to help you find out what’s causing you the pain. If you need a Root Canal Treatment, you have nothing to worry all the more.

ABOUT CLINICS

Dr. Gowds Dental Clinic has sound repute as one of the most trusted dental healthcare providers in the region. We are the Pioneers in Dentistry or Dental Care. We are the first to introduce Dental Lasers, Cosmetic Dentistry, Dental Implants and Immediate Implants to the State in 1967 Dr. Gowds Dental Hospital in Hyderabad  has provided outstanding dental care for more than 50 years which spells trust and reliability.

ABOUT THE DOCTOR

Prof. Dr. Snigdha Gowd (M.D.S. FICO., Specialist in Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthodontics (Switzerland), Chairman & CEO of Dr. Gowds Dental Hospital)

If there had to be someone who can take credit for lakhs of smiling faces in Hyderabad, there’s one person who’s claim to fame it can be – Prof. Dr. Snigdha Gowd. It’s the joy of making people smile without inhibitions that made her choose the field of dentistry over her other passions. This art and skill of creating beautiful smiles is in her genes. Spearheading Dr. Gowds Dental Hospital in Hyderabad, her idea behind transforming lives through corrected smiles and beautiful teeth is just a part of the bigger picture.