Root canal Treatment

Root canal treatment is the removal of the tooth's pulp, a small, thread-like tissue in the center of the tooth. Once the damaged, diseased or dead pulp is removed, the remaining space is cleaned, shaped and filled. This procedure seals off the root canal. Years ago, teeth with diseased or injured pulps were removed. Today, root canal treatment saves many teeth that would otherwise be lost.

The most common causes of pulp damage or death are:
 A cracked tooth
A deep cavity
An injury to a tooth, such as a severe knock to the tooth, either recent or in the past.
Once the pulp is infected or dead, if left untreated, pus can build up at the root tip in the jawbone, forming an abscess. An abscess can destroy the bone surrounding the tooth and cause pain.

 Treatment for root canal-
Root canal treatment consists of several steps-First, an opening is made through the back of a front tooth or the crown of a molar or pre-molar.
After the diseased pulp is removed (a pulpectomy), the pulp chamber and root canals are cleaned, enlarged and shaped in preparation for being filled.
If more than one visit is needed, a temporary filling is placed in the crown opening to protect the tooth between dental visits.
The temporary filling is removed and the pulp chamber and root canal permanently filled. A tapered, rubbery material called gutta-percha is inserted into each of the canals and is often sealed into place with cement. Sometimes a metal or plastic rod is placed in the canal for structural support.
In the final step, a crown is usually placed over the tooth to restore its natural shape and appearance. If the tooth is very broken down, a post may be required to build it up prior to placing a crown.

Your treated and restored tooth/teeth can last a lifetime with proper care. Because tooth decay can still occur in treated teeth, good oral hygiene and regular dental exams are necessary to prevent further problems.  The dentist decides whether a crown is needed over the treated tooth or it can be left as it is, by seeing and comparing with the previous x-ray to see how brittle your tooth is.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.






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Trip to dentist leaves man with a 90-minute memory

The incident left the 38-year-old man stuck in an endless loop of waking up and thinking he has a routine dental appointment.

The man had gone to a dentist for a routine procedure and lost the ability to create new memories.

In a ‘never-before-seen case’ reminiscent of the film Momento, a man in the UK has been left with just 90-minutes of memory after a root-canal treatment at a dentist, researchers, including one of Indian-origin, say.
The incident left the 38-year-old man stuck in an endless loop of waking up and thinking he has a routine dental appointment.
The patient was referred to Dr Gerald Burgess, a clinical psychologist from University of Leicester, a decade ago.
“One of our reasons for writing up this individual’s case was that we had never seen anything like this before in our assessment clinics, and we do not know what to make of it, but felt an honest reporting of the facts as we assessed them was warranted, that perhaps there will be other cases, or people who know more than we do about what might have caused the patient’s amnesia,” said Burgess.
“Our experience was that none of our colleagues in neurology, psychiatry, and clinical neuropsychology could explain this case, or had seen anything like it themselves before,” said Burgess, who collaborated with Bhanu Chadalavada, Consultant Psychiatrist at Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation NHS Trust.
The man had gone to a dentist for a routine procedure and lost the ability to create new memories. Since the one-hour root-canal treatment, during which he was given a local anaesthetic, the individual cannot remember anything beyond 90 minutes.
He is fully aware of his identity and his personality did not change- but every day the man thinks it is the day of his dental appointment. He has to manage his life through an electronic diary and access to prompts.
“Amongst our allied health professions, what we did know about from decades of research and hundreds of case studies, is that bilateral damage to the hippocampal and/or diencephalon structures causes profound amnesia, and in the absence of apparent structural damage to these structures, it left an explanation widely open to speculation,” said Burgess.
“I don’t think that at this point the dental anaesthetic or root canal can be blamed; it would be unethical and perhaps baseless scaremongering to do so, there is not sufficient evidence. I feel the story lies elsewhere, but that the preceding incident needed to be documented and not ignored,” Burgess added.
The finding was published in the journal Neurocase.

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Laser to help you say goodbye to dentist's chair

Anyone who has had a root canal done knows how painful the procedure can be.

But a dental condition that may require one to undergo root canal may no longer give patients sleepless nights as researchers have found that exposing cells on the inside of a tooth to weak laser light stimulates the growth of dentin - the substance that makes up much of a tooth's structure.

Low-power light could trigger stem cells inside the body to regenerate tissue, the study said.

"Our treatment modality does not introduce anything new to the body, and lasers are routinely used in medicine and dentistry, so the barriers to clinical translation are low," said David Mooney, a professor at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) in the US.
 
So far, experiments have been done on rats and mice but the researchers have tested the technique on human cells in culture, and it seems to work, said Priveen Arany, an assistant clinical investigator at the National Institutes of Health.

Researchers took rodents to the laboratory version of a dentist's office to drill holes in their molars, treat the tooth pulp that contains adult dental stem cells with low-dose laser treatments, applied temporary caps, and kept the animals comfortable and healthy.

After about 12 weeks, high-resolution x-ray imaging and microscopy confirmed that the laser treatments triggered the enhanced dentin formation.

The new work marks the first time that scientists have gotten to the nub of how low-level laser treatments work on a molecular level, and lays the foundation for controlled treatment protocols.

A root canal is necessary when too much of a tooth is infected or damaged, and there is not any way to prevent the problem from getting worse (other than removing the tooth entirely).

The findings appeared in the journal Science.

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What Does Different Dental Signs Mean ?

Flat teeth are an indicator of untackled stress.

Dental problems are not just a sign of neglected oral health. 

The problem is rooted much deeper — in stress levels, eating 

habits and even kidneys. Dentists say, reading these signs 

and tackling them at the earliest is key to maintaining not 

just your pearly whites but also a healthy body.

Flat teeth

Root cause: High stress


Do you wake up with a pain in your jaw? Have the biting 

surfaces of your teeth become shorter? It's possible that you 

suffer from bruxism, a disorder in which people grind their 

teeth, especially while sleeping. Dentist says, "People can 

clench and grind their teeth during the day and night 

without being aware of it. However, it is a bigger problem 

during the night because it's difficult to control." Long term 

grinding of teeth makes them flat, causing jaw tenderness, 

fatigue of cheek muscles, headaches and ear aches. Stress is 

one of the major causes of bruxism. "People tend to clench 

their teeth when stressed. Clenching becomes more 

pronounced in people with high stress jobs and is common 

among policemen, body builders (who clench their teeth 

while lifting heavy weights), bank clerks, or those suffering 

from depression and anxiety disorders," she adds.

Dentist says, most young professionals do not realise that 

they are under stress. "The problem surfaces when they 

come to us with broken or flat teeth. The cure is stress 

management.



Dentist also recommend mouth guards to patients whose 

teeth are still in good condition. The plates cover the entire 

surface the teeth and prevent them from rubbing against 

each other. However, the dentist warns,, severely damaged 

teeth can only be fixed with a root canal with caps or 

artificial implants.

Teeth sensitivity


Root cause: Acid reflux and heartburn 


The normal pH level of teeth is 5.5. When stomach acids — 

with a pH level of 2.2 — travel back to the mouth through 

the food pipe, they erode the enamel, increasing the teeth 

sensitivity. Those with sensitive teeth suffer a shooting pain 

when they eat something very hot or cold.

"Those who suffer from frequent heartburns or acid reflux 

will invariably have eroded teeth enamel. Unhealthy eating 

habits such as eating large meals, lying down on the back 

right after a meal or snacking before bed time are some 

factors that cause the valve at the entrance of stomach to 

become loose and stomach acids to travel backwards,

and brushing teeth gently will help.

Dry mouth

Root cause: Kidney disease 

"If you have persistent dryness in the mouth, it is probably a 

good idea to consult a nephrologist.  The kidneys are 

responsible for forming and excreting urine, regulating fluid 

and electrolytes throughout the body, and excreting 

hormones into the blood stream.The dentist says that a 

kidney infection causes an imbalance in the regulation of 

fluids and this shows up as a symptom in the mouth. 

Temporary dryness can be a sign of dehydration rather 

than a kidney disease.

Tooth loss

Root cause: Bone problem

Your teeth are held together by your bone quality. When that 

deteriorates, your teeth either become loose or fall. 

Conditions such as osteoporosis are one of the major causes 

of teeth loss. "The diseases can be detected early by 

identifying a receding alveolar process — the portion of the 

jaw bone which supports and anchors the teeth,, adding that 

vitamin D deficiency, common among urban Indians, is also 

leading to tooth loss.

Pain in upper molars 


Root cause: Sinusitis 

A dentist says, she often gets patients who complain of 

acute pain in their upper molars, but examinations show 

healthy gums and teeth. The cause of pain in such cases is 

sinusitis. When the maxillary sinus — air cavities within the 

cheek bones, above the upper jaw — becomes inflamed due 

to infection, it exerts pressure on the upper jaw. The roots of 

the upper molars are in close proximity with the sinus, and 

on being pressed they mimic pain of dental origin.

Pale gums

Root cause: Low haemoglobin levels 


Pale gums accompanied by fatigue and an occasionally sore 

tongue are signs of haemoglobin deficiency. The 

haemoglobin is protein, which helps the blood carry oxygen 

to various parts of the body. Iron is essential for formation 

of haemoglobin in red blood cells. Sources of iron include 

egg yolks, leafy greens, dry fruits, beans, lentils, chick peas 

and soya beans.