Root Canal Treatment

Root canal treatment or endodontics is a method of treatment applied by cleaning the root canals of an infected and decayed tooth. Tooth; It consists of three parts: enamel, dentin and pulp. Canal cleaning is carried out in the pulp, which is the only living part of the tooth. This place, where nerves and blood vessels are located, is the ideal environment for the growth of bacteria, and therefore for decay and infection.

Root canal treatment is the most economical and healthy method to get rid of the unbearable pain caused by the abscess resulting from infection. Teeth with root canal cleaning can be saved and continue to function, albeit more sensitively.

What is Root Canal Treatment (Endodontics)?

Root canal treatment is the process of cleaning and refilling the rotten and inflamed parts of the tooth. This procedure is applied in cases where the pulp, the innermost layer of the tooth, dies or becomes sick. Root canal treatment, which is referred to as endodontics in academic language, is performed by dentists in professional dental clinics.

How is Root Canal Treatment Applied?

Root canal treatment is applied in one or two sessions depending on the level of tooth decay and inflammation. Dentists or endodontists perform the cleaning of the dental pulp and then the filling with drugs and filling. Endodontists are dentists who specialize in the treatment of dental nerves and pulp and taking precautions against disease.

Dentists often request x-rays from their patients who come to visit with the complaint of extremely severe toothache. According to the X-ray results, if the damage and infection rate in the root structure of the tooth is at a level that the tooth can be saved, root canal treatment is applied. If the tooth is in such a bad condition that it cannot be saved, there is no other choice but to pull it out.

Root canal treatment, like every dental operation, takes place in the dentist’s chair. Before starting the operation, the dentist applies local anesthesia to the patient for whom has decided on endodontics, and starts the procedure after covering the area with a waterproof material. Since the nerves of the tooth to be treated are dead, the patients do not feel what will be done, but the physicians generally apply anesthesia for the patients to be comfortable.

The pulp of the damaged tooth of the patient, who is applied local anesthesia, is removed by the physician. After removing the pulp, the doctor cleans the varieties up to the roots of the teeth with the help of apparatus. Although this process varies depending on the intensity of the infection, it takes 45 minutes on average. After the dentist has thoroughly cleaned the patient’s tooth from decay in the root canals, x-rays are taken again. If the dentist decides that the canal cleaning is successful according to the x-ray results, they finishes the root canal treatment by filling the tooth with permanent filling material. In cases where the infection is high, the carved root canals are closed with anti-inflammatory drugs and temporary filling before the permanent filling is done. Then, the temporary filling is removed from the tooth that has healed with the effect of drugs and is filled with permanent filling.

How Long Does Root Canal Treatment Take?

The duration of root canal treatment depends on the intensity of the infection in the root canals and the size of the tooth decay. If the physician cannot complete the canal cleaning in a single session, he/ she can perform the second and, in extreme cases, the third session. The average length of these sessions is 45 minutes. In order to calculate the total root canal treatment process, it is necessary to consider the time between sessions and the time that will pass in X-rays. The weaker the infection and caries, the shorter the treatment process.

Is Root Canal Treatment a Painful Procedure?

Root canal treatment is performed in order to relieve the pain in the patient’s tooth and to continue the use of that area. Even if this root canal cleaning, which is done to remove dead nerves, is not applied with local anesthesia, it does not cause pain because there is no feeling in the nerves. Although this is a situation related to the patient’s pain threshold, the patient in the operation will not complain that he / she is hurt unless he is a very sensitive person.

After the root canal treatment, the treated tooth will become numb as the nerves are removed. Pain; will not be able to detect heat, cold or breakage. A patient who has had endodontics should pay extra attention to the nerveless bone structure in that area. If there is an infection problem in the area treated with root canal treatment, the tissue at the site of the dried inflammation will be sensitive. In this case, if the patient pays attention to what he/ she eats for a few days, he will not feel pain. The area that has been freed from inflammation is extremely sensitive to heat and cold.

What Should Be Considered After Root Canal Treatment?

In cases where root canal treatment cannot be completed in one session, the patients should take care not to use the treated tooth until the treatment process is completed. they should avoid consuming excessive heat and cold, and take care to chew or bite with his other teeth.

A patient who has completed root canal treatment should not eat or drink anything for about 3 hours. Otherwise, the newly made filling may not hold, and the food eaten and drunk fills the root canals that have just been opened by the doctor. For a few days following the completion of the treatment, hard, crusty, extremely hot and cold food and beverages should not be consumed.

Oral care should be taken very seriously in the period after root canal treatment. This rule, which is valid at every stage of life, becomes even more important for patients who no longer live with a tooth that has no sense. After the root canal treatment, the teeth, which are freed from the pulp and nerves of the living tissue, become weak because they do not have a source to feed, and they need careful protection. The patients should not delay the drugs that the dentist wants to use after the root canal treatment, brush their teeth, use dental floss and mouthwash.

What are the Conditions that May Occur After Root Canal Treatment?

Root canal treatment is generally a successful method. In addition, in some cases, complications may occur. Closing the canal before the dentist can clean it well enough or leaving a third canal that is overlooked in some teeth without cleaning causes the area to abscess and pain. A hidden crack formed in the root of the tooth or bacteria infiltrated into the restored tooth also restores the root canal treatment process. In order to prevent this, patients who have undergone root canal treatment should give more importance to dental care than ever before. After the treatment, the patient and the physician should remain in contact, and annual dental check-ups should be performed.

Is Root Canal Treatment Performed Twice?

Root canal treatment is a method that can be repeated. Re-canal treatment can be performed on teeth that have been closed before the root canals are completely cleaned, and teeth that are infected for various reasons despite being treated. In re-canal treatments, the failed filling is removed and the canals are meticulously cleaned again. Then, according to the new x-ray results, the tooth is closed with medication and filling or the cleaning process is continued.

How Much Are Root Canal Treatment Prices?

Root canal treatment prices vary, depending on the number of canals to be cleaned and the drugs to be applied. Based on 2023 pricing; VAT included, excluding filling, single Canal is 1.170 TL, two Canals are 1.750 TL, three Canals are 2.390 TL. After that, 650 TL is added for each canal.

What are the Alternative Methods to Root Canal Treatment?

An alternative to root canal treatment is to remove the tooth completely. Implants, bridges or removable dentures are used instead of the removed tooth. These methods are more expensive and unhealthy than root canal treatment. The main goal in dental treatment is always to save the natural bone structure in the mouth. The mouth is where digestion begins, and the teeth also play an important role in this process. It is important for patient health to try to save the tooth with root canal treatment instead of getting rid of it.

What Precautions Should Be Taken to Avoid Root Root Canal Treatment?

In addition to root canal treatment, the most important thing to do in order to avoid any dental disease is to take care of oral care. For healthy teeth; It is necessary to stay away from excessive sugar, extreme cold, extremely hot, extremely hard foods and beverages, brushing teeth at least twice a day, using mouthwash and dental floss, reducing smoking and alcohol consumption, or even not using it at all.

Visiting the dentist at least twice a year and using protective teeth during activities such as sports competitions are also factors that should be considered by those who do not want to have root canal treatment.