Root Canal Treatment
Root Canal Treatment
Our specialists are among the best, offering you up-to-date treatments to preserve your root canals, so that we can save damaged or infected teeth. The expert dental care professionals at the clinic use the latest technologies and techniques in treatment to make it as painless as possible while keeping your smile natural.
Endodontic treatment is the treatment of infection or other damage in the dental pulp, the soft tissue inside the tooth that contains blood vessels and nerves. The infected tissue must be removed. The inside of the tooth needs to be cleaned and disinfected, and if it has become infected or inflamed because of decay, injury or another cause, it must be sealed against further infection.
Root Canal Treatment Procedure
Anesthesia
Local
Treatment Duration
1 to 2 hours
Stay in Istanbul
1 to 2 days
Return to Social Life
1 day
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What Is Root Canal Treatment?
Endodontic treatment, i.e. root canal treatment, is the procedure of removing pulp tissue that has become inflamed for various reasons or infected by microorganisms, then cleaning and shaping the canal space and filling it with tissue-friendly root canal filling materials. This whole set of procedures is defined as root canal treatment. Root canal treatment is a method applied when the tooth root is affected by decay or various traumas. The aim is to prevent tooth loss and to keep the tooth active in the jawbone by allowing it to perform its normal functions.
How Is Root Canal Treatment Performed?
In root canal treatment, an opening is made in the top of the tooth to reach the tooth root, the nerve, blood vessels and tissues in this area are removed, the pulp and canals are cleaned and disinfected, and the emptied pulp space is then filled with dental material and sealed.
During this process, treatment can take longer depending on the extent of the infection in the tooth. Temporary fillings are used until the infection in the tooth is treated. Each tooth contains a different number of canals. When decay reaches the pulp, all of the tooth’s canals must be treated. Incisors at the front of the mouth usually have a single canal, premolars 2 canals, and molars 3–4 canals. The number of canals in a tooth can vary from person to person. Each root can be thought of as one canal, but sometimes there are extra canals as well.
Who Can Have Root Canal Treatment?
Root canal treatment is necessary when the pulp tissue inside the tooth becomes inflamed or infected. Here are some situations in which root canal treatment is necessary:
- Decay Problems: Deep cavities can reach the inside of the tooth and cause the nerves to become inflamed or infected. Root canal treatment is recommended in these cases.
- Dental Trauma: Damage caused by teeth being knocked out or hit can increase the risk of infection in the root canals. Such situations may require root canal treatment.
- Tooth Fractures: In broken teeth, especially if the root area is damaged, root canal treatment may be required.
- Age Group: Root canal treatment is commonly performed on adults whose tooth development is complete, but it can also be used in children in some cases. However, it is important to take the child’s tooth development into account.
- Preventing Tooth Loss: Eliminating infection or inflammation in the tooth’s root canals is a critical step in preventing tooth loss. For this reason, your dentist will create a treatment plan suited to your situation.
How Long Does It Take to Heal After Root Canal Treatment?
If your tooth that has had root canal treatment is infected, the recovery and healing time of this tooth can take between 6 months and 24 months. This does not mean you will be in pain for the entire period. On the contrary, it refers to the time needed for the body to rid itself of the infection that is disturbing the tooth and replace it with healthy tissue as under normal conditions.
If the infection has not spread to your tooth, it takes between 1 week and 3 weeks for root canal treatment to heal completely. The inner canals of this tooth may be infected, but the tissues around it have not yet caught the infection. However, we should also point out that the surrounding tissues will be very prone to infection at a later stage.
What to Pay Attention to After Root Canal Treatment
While the teeth gradually heal after root canal treatment, there are some points to pay attention to:
- Until root canal treatment is finished, you should avoid biting into crusty or hard foods.
- It is important to continue daily teeth cleaning without interruption. Taking tooth sensitivity into account, teeth should be brushed gently and with circular motions at least twice a day. Keeping up with daily teeth cleaning is essential both for general oral health and for recovery after root canal treatment.
- To prevent possible infections after root canal treatment, you should floss at least once a day. Flossing is also very important for oral health. When starting to floss, you can benefit from our dentist’s advice suited to your teeth and mouth.
- After treatment, it is recommended to reduce the consumption of sugary and sticky foods for a while. Sugar is one of the most important causes of tooth decay. Sugar consumption should be limited for the health of both the whole body and the mouth. Sugar is found not only in products such as wafers and chocolate, but also in many packaged products and drinks.
- After root canal treatment, painkiller sprays or medications recommended by the dentist should be used regularly; if the painkiller sprays or medications you are using do not reduce the pain, you can consult our dentist as soon as possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Treatment time varies depending on the number of canals in the tooth and the condition of the infection. A session usually lasts between 45 and 90 minutes. If there is an active infection or abscess in the tooth, medication may need to be placed in the canals and a few days of waiting may be required; in this case the treatment is completed in 2–3 sessions.
No. Thanks to advanced local anesthesia methods, you do not feel any pain during the procedure. The procedure feels similar to having a standard filling placed.
Mild sensitivity in the first few days after treatment (especially when pressing on the tooth) is normal, because it takes time for the tissues at the root tip to heal. However, pain that starts months later can mean a leaking filling, a new cavity, or a recurrence of infection at the root tip.
During root canal treatment, the nerves that keep the tooth alive are removed completely, so the tooth can no longer respond to external stimuli such as heat or cold. This is due to the nature of the treatment.
When performed with the correct technique, the success rate is around 90–95%. If a good restoration (crown or porcelain filling) is placed on the tooth after treatment and oral hygiene is maintained, these teeth can stay in the mouth for life.