Through endodontic therapy lesions that concern the pulp (nerves) are treated while avoiding the tooth’s extraction. The most common factors that may lead to the inflammation or the necrosis of the pulp are:
• Deep dental decay or deep filling
• Tooth trauma
• Severe periodontal disease.
There is a chance that the teeth that require therapy experience no pain, since the degeneration of the pulp happens slowly, and that the diagnosis occurs by chance during an x-ray. In other cases, there is severe pain and even face swelling.
Endodontic therapy is usually completed in 1-3 visits depending on the level of the existing inflammation. The therapy is aimed at the removal of the inflamed pulp (nerve), the preparation of the root canals, their sterilization and permanent seal. Following the endodontic therapy, the tooth is restored with a permanent material.
Special care following the completion of therapy
- Fragility: a root-canal treated tooth is more fragile and in most cases, we recommend that a crown or an onlay be used for restoration.
- Discoloration: the turning gray of the tooth in some cases may be treated with internal whitening.
