Root canal treatment

[Max]

Yesterday I noticed a lump on my gum next to my front tooth at the front which started to produce some yellow stuff when I pressed it a bit. The tooth causes no pain but I am worried that it might have a problem because the lump is still there today .

Reading the forum today, it looks like I might need root canal filling on this tooth. Can you explain to me what is involved in root canal treatment. Is it likely to cause pain and what is the success rate with root canal fillings?

[Dr Mohsen J. Esfahani]

Root canal treatment also known as root canal filling is a process in which the pulp tissue of a tooth is mechanically and chemically removed.

If bacteria enter the pulp chamber of a tooth, they will cause the pulp tissue of the tooth to become inflamed (pulpitis) and this can cause severe pain for the patient.

At this point one option would be to remove the tooth altogether but another option would be to remove the inflamed pulp tissue and keep the tooth as a dead but still functional tooth.

So root canal treatment starts with the tooth being fully anaesthetised so that the patient does not feel any of the drilling and mechanical debridement.

Once numb, an access cavity is made to the pulp chamber of the tooth and the pulp is then removed using hand and rotary instruments. The powerful bacteria that cause pulp inflammation require powerful chemical disinfectants such as Bleach and other materials such as Chlorhexidine and EDTA to remove them fully from the pulp chamber of the tooth.

The pulp canals of the tooth are then shaped so that they can be filled with a plastic root filling material, to stop new bacteria entering the root canal area once more. Once the roots are filled with the plastic root filling material, the tooth is crowned to provide an excellent coronal seal for the root canals and to prevent tooth fracture.

The success rate of root canals varies in different studies carried out but has a range of 70-90%. There should not be any pain during the root canal treatment process but there can be some pain for a few days after the process that may require some NSAID drugs such as Ibuprofen.