Root Canal Therapy

Root canal therapy refers to the treatment of the inner aspects of a tooth (whose nerve has undergone degenerative changes) in order to provide an environment where the tissues surrounding a tooth’s root are free of (and will likely continue to be free of), the presence of inflammation. 
 
While teeth are hard calcified objects, they are not completely solid.  In the inner most aspect of every tooth there lies a hollow space, which, when a tooth is healthy, contains the tooth’s nerve tissue.  The nerve tissue in a tooth can die quietly.  The degeneration of a tooth’s nerve is not always a painful experience.  Because of this, on occasion, a tooth’s need for root canal treatment can remain undiscovered, even for some years.  It is therefore very important to come in for routine x-ray evaluation.

You might think that a tooth’s nerve tissue is vitally important to a tooth’s health and function but in reality, it is not.  A tooth’s nerve tissue plays an important role in the growth and development of the tooth but once the tooth has erupted through the gums and has finished maturing, the nerve’s only function is sensory (it provides the tooth with the ability to feel hot and cold).  In regards to the normal day to day functioning of our mouths, the sensory information provided by a single tooth is really quite minimal.  In fact, if a tooth has had its nerve tissue removed during root canal treatment, you will never miss it.

The process of root canal treatment removes (as thoroughly as possible) bacteria, nerve tissue, the organic debris left over from the breakdown of nerve tissue and bacterial toxins out form within the inner aspects of a tooth (the area originally occupied by the tooth’s nerve tissue).  All of these items either are or will produce the tissue irritants that can cause your body to activate an inflammation reaction.  

Once this space has been cleansed, root canal treatment involves filling in and sealing off the interior of the tooth.     

Contrary to popular belief, root canal treatment is a “good thing”.  In those cases where a person’s tooth has been causing pain or swelling, it is the root canal therapy which begins the process by which a painful or swollen tooth can be settled down.