Root canal treatment is performed when the pulp is damaged due to too many procedures applied to some teeth or when the tooth pulp is damaged in teeth that are excessively inflamed or damaged for any reason, causing toothache and leading to tooth loss in the future. In such problems, root canal treatment is the process of removing the tooth pulp, disinfecting the relevant area, filling it with filling material, and closing it. The reason why this treatment is called „root canal treatment“ is because the canals inside the tooth root are cleaned.

Root Canal Treatment Stages

The root canal treatment process includes the following stages:

1. Dental X-rays: When teeth are damaged or decayed for any reason, the patient sees a doctor. If the dentist realizes that endodontic treatment is needed, he or she will ask the patient to have an X-ray. X-rays are required to determine the exact location of the decay.
2. Anesthesia: In order to make the necessary filling in the tooth, local anesthesia is first applied, and the tooth area is numbed. Although people think that root canal treatment is more painful than filling, the opposite is true.
3. Pulpectomy: After anesthesia, the diseased pulp is removed by opening a cavity in the tooth. This procedure may take a short or long time depending on the condition of the tooth. However, since local anesthesia is applied, no pain is felt.
4. Filling: After the tooth pulp is removed, a cavity is created in the area. This cavity is filled with a substance called „guta percha“ and closed with a substance called „cement“. In general, all these procedures take an average of 1 hour depending on the size of the tooth damage and the tooth pulp.

Situations requiring root canal treatment are usually a cracked tooth, deep caries, and damage to the tooth due to an impact on the tooth. In such cases, if there is a chance of saving the tooth, no prosthesis is made. Specialists do their best to keep a tooth as the main tooth and avoid extracting it as much as possible.

If you’re interested in learning more about smile design or root canal treatment prices, please contact Akvadent Oral and Dental Polyclinic to schedule an appointment.

Root Canal Treatment: What Happens Without It, How It Is Performed, and When It Is Necessary?

When teeth are damaged for any reason, pus accumulates from the root of the tooth into the jawbone, causing an abscess that can lead to the destruction of the bone surrounding the tooth, as well as bad breath. For this reason, it is crucial to see a specialist without wasting time and request the necessary root canal treatment.

Root canal treatment typically involves an average of 2-3 sessions per tooth. However, depending on the condition of the tooth and the number of teeth, more sessions may be needed. The specialist will give the necessary information to the patient about how many sessions will be completed during the examination.

Here are the stages of root canal treatment:

• A hole is drilled in the crown of the damaged tooth.
• The pulp (tooth pulp) is removed from the hole drilled in the tooth, and the root canals are cleaned and enough space is opened for the tooth filling.
• After the root canal treatment is completed, if more than one session is needed for filling, a temporary filling is placed in the opened cavity.
• In the last session, the temporary filling material is removed from the canal and closed with a permanent filling. In this process, a rubber material with a conical tip called „Gutta percha“ is inserted into the canals separately and then sealed with cement. If necessary, a metal or plastic rod can be inserted into the tooth canal.
• After all these procedures are completed, the tooth is covered with a crown to restore the tooth to its natural state. If there is a fracture in the tooth, a post can be applied to repair the tooth before the crown is placed.

The lifespan of teeth filled after root canal treatment depends on the sensitivity of the person to oral and dental care. Properly cared for teeth can be used for a lifetime. However, the filling material may fall or break due to different reasons. In these cases, it is necessary to re-fill without wasting time. Otherwise, the open canal may become infected and spread to other teeth.

X-rays should be taken a second time after the treatment to confirm the correctness of the procedure, especially if there was decay before the filling process that caused bone loss.

Root canal treatment prices are determined annually by the Turkish Dental Association for private clinics, state hospitals, and private hospitals. It is forbidden to share prices on the internet for dental treatments. For this reason, a clinical examination is required to learn the correct price information and to determine the required treatment correctly.

Here are the 2022 root canal treatment prices determined by the Turkish Dental Association:

• Root Canal Dressing (Per Session)
• Extirpation (For Each Root Canal)
• Root Canal Treatment – Single Root Canal (Excluding Filling)
• Two Channels
• Three Channels
• Additional For Each Channel
• Root Canal Treatment in Tooth with Periapical Lesion – One Channel (Excluding Filling)
• Two Channels
• Three Channels

Root canal treatment is necessary in cases of:

• Tooth decay down to the nerve
• Fractures involving the nerve of the tooth as a result of trauma
• Orthodontic treatments
• Loss of vitality of the tooth/teeth as a result of excessive force on the tooth
• Advanced gum diseases
• To eliminate the sensitivity of the teeth with the occurrence of advanced abrasion
• Filling for high fillings and prostheses

How to Recognize the Need for Root Canal Treatment?

• Symptoms of the need for root canal treatment include:
  • Cold-hot sensitivity of the teeth
  • Pain at night without any stimulus
  • Pain during meals
  • Discoloration of the teeth due to the death of nerves
  • Swelling of the face due to abscess formation

Frequently Asked Questions about Root Canal Treatment

• Is root canal treatment a painful procedure?
  • During root canal treatment, the patient does not feel any pain as local anesthesia is applied. For a while, numbness occurs in the mouth and face.
• Is there pain after root canal treatment?
  • After root canal treatment, there is usually minor pain during chewing food for the first 1-2 days. The patient can use anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve these pains.
• Does tooth inflammation require tooth extraction?
  • In the developing medical world, there are some techniques developed for oral and dental diseases. Today, when the abscess formed in the tooth can be removed, the tooth does not need to be extracted in case of inflammation.
• Is it necessary to use antibiotics for tooth infections?
  • Antibiotics are used in cases of extreme inflammation. Since local anesthesia is applied to the tooth during the root canal treatment phase, there is no need to use antibiotics during the construction phase. However, if root canal treatment is deemed necessary, if there is excessive inflammation in the tooth, the doctor may request antibiotics to be used for a while to relieve the inflammation.
• Are root canal filling and filling separate procedures?
  • The process of cleaning and filling the root canal is called „root canal filling“. Filling is the process of repairing the damage to a certain part of the tooth with composite filling, inlay, onlay, or crown.