Saving a Sick Tooth: the Root Canal Treatment for a Dental Infection

The emphasis on proactive healthcare has resulted in new attention to oral hygiene’s role in maintaining physical wellbeing. Dozens of new products are being marketed and the beauty of the human smile is now in the spotlight right next to firm skin, body nutrition and lustrous hair.

Many of us regularly use products such as; antiseptic mouthwashes, toothpastes that whiten, remove plaque, prevent gingivitis, tongue scrapers and flavored dental floss to manage oral hygiene challenges such as sensitive teeth, halitosis or discolored enamel.

These products are great, but no matter how advanced your toothbrush may be, having your teeth professionally cleaned by a dentist; in a way that is not possible for you to do at home, can really make you feel like smiling.

But it is very difficult to smile when you are suffering with an infected tooth aching night and day. Some people won’t think twice about having a procedure that was vital to their health - until it comes to their teeth; many of us do not realize that an infected tooth can damage our health and lead to other more serious problems.

You can thoroughly brush and floss your teeth, but sometimes food particles are missed, even after using a mouthwash. These food particles can find their way into the dental pulp chamber; the soft core cells, blood vessels and nerve endings of the tooth that is enclosed by hard enamel, providing an environment for a bacterial infection to develop.

When the dental pulp chamber of your tooth becomes infected, the irritant that has caused the problem must be removed for your tooth to be cured; this endodontic treatment is called a Pulpectomy.

During this treatment your tooth is opened and the infected pulp chamber which extends to the root of the tooth is cleansed and medicine is applied to prevent the infection from reoccurring. If the infection has caused discoloration of your tooth, an internal tooth bleaching treatment is also applied. Once the treatment is completed, the tooth is closed and sealed.

The simple, highly effective Pulpectomy treatment for dental pulp chamber infections or as it is commonly called the “root canal” in use today is relatively new, and because of this when people are told they need this treatment they become anxious. This treatment did not exist in the 18th century; the available treatments were either: extraction, cauterizing the pulp, treating the infected tooth with leeches or transplanting a tooth from another person’s mouth.

By the 19th century, infected teeth were being treated using orangewood, gold or pastes to fill root canal space. Unfortunately many of the chemicals used in these pastes caused problems.

Starting in the 20th century, a person with an infected tooth has an x-ray to determine canal length and the appropriate sealer cement for the root canal is applied; 95 percent of root canals are successful and the research continues.” (Source: ADA Dental Minute: Dr. Maria Lopez Howell, Ref. DM2002-13 “HISTORY OF ROOT CANAL” http://www.ada.org/public/media/videos/minute/history_rootcanal.pdf)

To keep your beautiful smile, it is important for your teeth to be cleaned properly by you and your dentist. Cavities may be too small for you to see, but large enough for a food particle to enter inside your tooth. These can be treated by your dentist and a potential problem can be averted.

Unlike the people of the 18th century whose options were limited to extraction or painful unreliable treatments, in the event one of your teeth becomes infected, you can be thankful to the Pulpectomy or root canal research that has made it possible to cure dental infections and save your teeth.