Root canal treatment, otherwise known as endodontic treatment – a way of treating the tooth pulp in cases of its irreversible inflammation – still stirs up a lot of emotion among patients. Endodontics is one of the treatments performed more often at NL Clinic, so we frequently encounter our patients' concerns and are happy to dispel them here, even before the first visit.
When is root canal treatment performed and what does it involve?
In the most general terms, root canal treatment most often involves removing irreversibly damaged pulp from the canals and filling them with a biocompatible material, most often gutta-percha. Thanks to this procedure, a tooth that would once have been “condemned” to extraction can be kept in the jaw. In this process we can distinguish five essential stages.
First, the endodontist trepans the roof of the tooth chamber which – despite the drastic name – is nothing other than opening the tooth chamber in order to remove the pulp. Then they prepare the canal, rinsing it abundantly with appropriate disinfecting chemical agents that simultaneously wash out the shavings on an ongoing basis. NL Clinic dental centre uses mechanical preparation of the root canals here, which speeds up the procedure. After cleaning the canal of diseased or dead pulp and bacterial toxins and drying it, the canal is widened. A device called an endometer allows very precise measurement of the length of the root canal, which helps optimally match the amount of filling.
The root canal is filled exclusively with biocompatible materials. Their choice depends on the practice and on whether it is a temporary or permanent filling; nonetheless, the most commonly used filling is gutta-percha – a thermoplastic substance of plant origin. The material is “packed” into the canal in very sterile conditions and very precisely, so that no air bubbles remain in it. At the very end, the tooth is filled with appropriate cosmetic materials, tightly sealing its lumen – in other words, the tooth crown is rebuilt.
Does root canal treatment hurt?
This is one of the questions most often asked by patients, arising most likely from accounts of people whose treatment was not carried out correctly.
First, endodontic procedures are performed under anaesthesia. Second, although the tooth pulp is exceptionally strongly innervated, if it is already dead the nerves within it physically no longer feel pain.
In the past, there were cases of perforating the canal wall or even pushing filling material through its apex. Today, however, root canal treatment is increasingly performed under a microscope, using extremely precise dental instruments, and thanks to this alone truly exceptional circumstances must arise for the patient to feel pain. For example, in particularly complicated procedures the instruments may come into contact with adjacent, living nerves, which could theoretically result in an unpleasant sensation. The pain threshold is also, in fact, different for every person. Nonetheless, in our practice in Katowice we make every effort to ensure that the amount and type of anaesthetic optimally relieves any pain of our patient.
Above all, however, we should remember one thing – the pain of a diseased, strongly innervated pulp is one of the most acute kinds of pain, and it is precisely endodontic treatment that brings almost immediate relief (not counting possible slight sensitivity a few days after the procedure; this inconvenience, however, is relieved by ordinary, widely available painkillers).
How much does root canal treatment cost?
Root canal treatment is one of the most complicated and labour-intensive dental procedures, requiring maximum precision and concentration from the doctor, which is why the price of such treatment is somewhat higher than standard procedures. Before we decide, however, on the seemingly much cheaper alternative of extracting the whole tooth, it is worth calculating the later costs associated with prosthetics or with counteracting the consequences of a missing tooth, such as bone loss or the shifting of adjacent teeth, which may also loosen. From this perspective, root canal treatment is entirely worth its price – a long-term and cost-effective investment.
If you are interested in the price of endodontic treatment at our centre on the Witosa estate in Katowice, we warmly invite you to the price-list section and to get in touch by phone at +48 509 831 628.