Most of the patient who are given endodontic treatment, are often curious and and interested in their treatment.
For such patients following information should be transferred to the patient in anticipation of frequently asked questions.
Who performs an endodontic therapy?
Generally, all dentists receive basic education in endodontic treatment but an endodontist is preferred for endodontic therapy. General dentists often refer patients needing endodontic treatment to endodontists
Who is an endodontist?
An endodontist is a dentist who undergoes a special training in diagnosing and treating the problems associated with inside of the tooth. To become specialists, they complete dental school and additional two or more years of advanced training in endodontics. They perform routine as well as difficult and very complex endodontic procedures, including retreatment of previous root canals that have not healed completely, as well as endodontic surgery.
What is endodontics?
Endodontics is the diagnosis and treatment of inflamed and damaged pulps. Teeth are composed of protective hard covering (enamel, dentin and cementum) encasing a soft living tissue called pulp (fig.1.1) Pulp contains blood vessels, nerves, fibres and connective tissue. The pulp extends from the crown of the tooth to the tip of the roots where is connects to the tissues surrounding the root. The pulp is important during a tooth’s growth and development.However, once a tooth is fully mature it can survive without the pulp, because the tooth continues to be nourished by the tissues surrounding it.

How does pulp become damaged?
Numbers of ways which can damage the pulp include tooth decay, gum diseases, injury to the tooth by accident (fig.1.2)

Why do I feel pain?
When pulp becomes infected, it causes increased blood flow and cellular activity, and pressure cannot be relieved from inside the tooth. This causes pain. Pulp can even die without causing significant pain.

How can you tell if pulp is infected?
When pulp gets inflamed, it may cause toothache on taking hot or cold, spontaneous pain, pain on biting or on lying down. On occasion a damaged pulp is noticed by drainage, swelling, and abscess at the root end (fig1.3.)
Sometimes, however, there are no symptoms.
Why do I need root canal therapy?
Because tooth will not heal by itself, the infection may spread around the tissues causing destruction of bone and supporting tissue. This may cause tooth to fall out. Root canal treatment is done to save the damaged pulp by thorough cleaning and shaping of the root canal system and then filling it with gutta-percha (rubber like) material to prevent recontamination of the tooth. Tooth is permanently restored with crown with or without post.
What are alternatives to root canal therapy?
IF tooth is seriously damaged and its support is compromised, then extraction is only alternative.
What is root canal procedure?
Once the endodontic therapy is recommended, your endodontist will numb the area by injecting local anesthetic.
After this rubber sheet is placed around the tooth to isolate it. Then the opening is made in the crown of the tooth and very small sized instruments are used to clean the pulp chamber and root canals (fig.1.4) After thorough cleaning and shaping of root canals (fig.1.5), they are filled with rubber like material called gutta-percha, which will prevent the bacteria from entering this space again (fig.1.6) After completion of endodontic therapy, the endodontist places the crown or other restoration so as to restore the tooth to pull function. (fig1.7)



