The words [tooth extraction nerve] [tooth killing nerve] must be well known to toothache professionals, because they sound simple and crude, easy to understand, and of course, a little scary.
However, if the term “root canal therapy” is used, nine times out of ten ordinary people do not know it. In fact, root canal therapy is the professional expression of “tooth extraction nerve” in the common saying.
First, is what root canal therapy?
1. Is root canal therapy equal to [tooth extraction nerve]?
Explaining root canal therapy may be a little difficult, we can start with simple and crude [tooth extraction nerve].
In fact, there is a set of pipeline system in the center of each tooth, which is filled with a tissue called [dental pulp], which includes not only nerves, but also blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, etc.
Nerves transmit the sensation of this tooth, and blood vessels provide nutritional support for this tooth.
When toothache occurs, people certainly pay more attention to the nerve tissue related to the pain symptoms than the blood vessels responsible for nutrition, so the root canal is thus mistakenly called [dental nerve].
There is also a verb with extraordinary meaning: [smoke]! The so-called [tooth extraction nerve] is to remove the [tooth nerve] from the dental pulp from the pipeline system in the center of the tooth, thus making the feeling of tooth pain disappear.
A simple and crude understanding is that even the nerves that transmit pain are siphoned off, and the teeth will naturally not hurt.
However, the definition of root canal therapy will not be as simple as mentioned earlier, and [tooth extraction nerve] is only a key step in the complicated operation procedure of root canal therapy.
2. Why do you want root canal therapy?
First of all, we need to know that not all toothache requires root canal therapy, and not all patients receiving root canal therapy are due to toothache.
In short, root canal therapy is only suitable when it causes or exists irreversible lesions of dental pulp with extremely high risk.
Because dental pulp is a soft tissue wrapped in the hard tissue of teeth, the blood supply is less than that of other tissues, and the immune response produced by the body is difficult to play a role in the narrow space of teeth. Therefore, once infection occurs, the possibility of natural recovery and even effective treatment with antibiotics is close to zero.
3. Basic steps of root canal therapy
At this time, we have to adopt physical methods:
Firstly, a channel is grinded out on the tooth surface, and the infected tissue in the root canal is removed with instruments.
After disinfection, the root canal is isolated from the outside world with sealing material to avoid new infection.
Finally, resin or porcelain and other materials are used to restore the shape of the teeth.
Second, which diseases need root canal treatment?
1. Uncontrollable pulpitis
When tooth decay gradually penetrates into the interior from the surface of the tooth, and finally penetrates through hard tissue and invades the dental pulp, causing intolerable pain, most of the dental pulp has already been affected, i.e. It develops into [pulpitis].
I’m sorry, it’s useless to take any medicine at this moment. It’s the best choice to go to the hospital quickly.
Of course, there are also people who are strong-willed and have survived until the symptoms of tooth pain are not so unbearable. Patients think they are pulpitis [OK]. However, as mentioned earlier, pulp infection is difficult to heal. At this time, only the disease has entered a chronic stage and root canal therapy is also needed.
2. Dental pulp necrosis that cannot be delayed
In patients who develop chronic pulpitis, if they continue to delay, the dental pulp will change from inflammatory state to necrotic tissue. Slowly, the original milky white tooth color will gradually turn black and lose luster. At this time, [root canal therapy] is required.
Procrastination is common to everyone. Some people are still indifferent after their teeth change color. Finally, they have obvious toothache when biting. Some people will also find pustules or pus spots on the gums of diseased teeth.
At this time, pulpitis has progressed to pulp necrosis and diseases of tissues around the root. Whether you can keep the affected teeth depends on whether you can set out to visit the dentist immediately!
3. Other circumstances requiring [tooth extraction nerve]
The three conditions mentioned above are actually the process of [tooth decay-inflammation of dental pulp-necrosis of dental pulp-diseases of tissues around the root] progressing over time.
If tooth decay only occurs in the outer layer of the tooth, only the tooth needs to be filled. Once the pulp disease is caused, it may be necessary to [draw the tooth nerve].
There are also some other conditions that cause dental pulp diseases, such as tooth fracture, deep cracks in teeth, stimulation of materials such as filling teeth, and spontaneous factors of some patients. Root canal therapy is usually required to preserve the affected teeth.
Sometimes, the dental pulp of the tooth may still be healthy, but due to certain therapeutic needs, dentists will still perform root canal treatment for patients.
For example, for tetracycline teeth, patients should undergo root canal therapy before bleaching in teeth. Another example is that when a patient undergoes restoration treatment, the healthy teeth as supports have to grind out some hard tooth tissues, but it is likely that the healthy dental pulp has been provoked, so dental pulp treatment must be carried out first.
III. Benefits and Risks of Root Canal Therapy
After successful root canal therapy, the risk of pulp infection and reinfection decreases or even disappears, and the first feeling is that no more pain will be felt.
In addition, root canal therapy can preserve the tooth as much as possible. Although the tooth eventually lost its dental pulp, it can still play a role to a certain extent, including chewing, pronunciation and beauty.
More importantly, it is your own real tooth, not your dentures.
However, any treatment method has both benefits and risks.
First of all, the root canal is very small and varied. Each individual and each tooth is different, and some will have various variations, so the treatment is very difficult.
Therefore, sometimes there will be repeated diseases, requiring root canal treatment again and again. In the worst case, tooth infection cannot be well controlled and has to be pulled out after consuming manpower and material resources.
Secondly, the teeth after root canal treatment will also undergo some changes, because without dental pulp to provide nutrition, the teeth will become relatively fragile, so it is generally recommended that patients be protected with metal, porcelain or all-porcelain crowns after recovery.
Thirdly, the time cost of root canal therapy is high, which generally requires two or more treatments, which requires good compliance of patients. Especially under the current situation of lack of medical resources in China, there are many patients. If doctors and patients can cooperate with each other tacit understanding, it can lay the foundation for the success of treatment.
Finally, to be serious, with the popularization of more extensive stomatological knowledge, I hope that the word root canal therapy can one day replace [tooth extraction nerve]. Rough words always sound a little unfriendly.
Responsible Editor: Fei Fei
Author: He Jianliang
This article is exclusively authorized by the author to be used by Clove Garden and refuses to reprint in any other form.