What is root canal treatment (endodontic treatment)?

What is root canal treatment (endodontic therapy)?

So what is root canal treatment?
　As explained in Chapter 1,
　Inside the root of the tooth (the root of the tooth), there is a cavity called a "root canal" through which nerves and blood vessels pass. (Figure 15)

　And just like a "tree," the tooth is lined with many root canals in an attempt to supply nutrients from the body. (Figure 16)
In other words, there is more than one nerve in the tooth.
Just as each person's face is different, root canals vary from tooth to tooth, and no two canals have the same shape.
Some can be seen on radiographs, but most of them are too thin to show up on the radiographs and depend largely on the dentist's experience.
Then, dentists often explain that they are going to "remove the nerve" or "treat the root of the tooth".

What does it mean to "do a root canal treatment"?
It is inserting a wire-like instrument called a "file" into the root canal and scraping clean contaminated nerves and bacteria stuck in the root canal like a pipe cleaning. (Figure 17)
The inside is then rinsed clean and sealed tightly with a rubber-like material to keep the lid on the bacteria from entering the body. (Fig. 18)

Some of you may have questions at this point.

Yes, it is impossible.
That is why teeth that should have had their nerves removed start to fester and swell.
　Even though modern dentistry has advanced, there is no way to completely remove contamination from inside a narrow root canal.
　Even more so, it is impossible to remove bacteria around the root.

“Limitations of Root Canal Treatment” Periapical lesion

So, periapical lesion (where the bone around the root has dissolved) ever heal?
　Does it just fall out?
　No, they do not. Living organisms have a wonderful function called "immunity.
　Even if the dentist is unable to clean it directly, about 60% of it will heal spontaneously.
　In other words, by cleaning the inside of the root as well as possible, we block the source of nutrition for the bacteria around the root.
　Then, immune response cells, which are the defense force, march in and attack the bacteria from the surrounding area.
　If this defense force is able to eradicate the bacteria, the periapical lesion will heal. (Figure 19)

So what is the fate of the remaining 40% of the population whose defenses have been defeated?
　In this case, the condition is called chronicity, in which bacteria proliferate in the periapical lesion and gradually dissolve the alveolar bone. Moreover, since there are few symptoms, the patient hardly feels any strong symptoms.
　Have you ever experienced this?
　If you have any of the symptoms listed in the attached table, we recommend that you have a radiograph to confirm the symptoms.

1. Gum "boils" that repeatedly appear and disappear
2. Teeth are loose
3. Feeling of discomfort when chewing

　Why do these differences occur?
There are many possible reasons, such as lack of immunity to heal, presence of strong bacteria....
But the most common cause is the amount of bacteria left behind in the root canal.
In other words, unless it is a very large root canal lesion, the bone around the root will heal once the inside of the root is completely cleaned out. However, if the inside of the root canal is very dirty, or in the worst case, not cleaned at all, there is no chance of healing.
　However, root canals are complex, and some canals are bent at right angles at the root apex, split in two, have many branches, or have other shapes that cannot be cleaned by anyone.
Whose tooth has such a shape? No one knows.
And even if the shape of the root canal is known, as long as the instruments cannot be bent at right angles, no dentist in the world can treat it.

In other words, this is the "limit of endodontic treatment.

Next page>>>