Many people suffer from decayed teeth. The primary reason behind tooth decay is generally associated with excess consumption of sugar-filled items and enamel erosion. In such cases, a root canal treatment can be obtained from a dentist in San Jose, CA, to treat decayed teeth.
A root canal can become an essential treatment when one experiences severe tooth decay and the root canal or the nerve of the teeth gets infected. Root canal generally involves cleaning and medicating an infected tooth nerve and filling it with a root. However, most people are concerned with the stages involved in the procedure of a root canal, as it can be painful for some.
Three stages of root canal treatment:
There are three stages involved in a root canal procedure. Some steps might be painful for some patients, so it will be necessary to contact a dentist in San Jose, CA. Below is a description of the three stages involved in a root canal:
- Extirpation
In the first stage of a root canal, initial cleaning is done to control bacterial infection from spreading more. In most cases, a dentist will perform a diagnosis with an x-ray, percussion, palpation, and cold tests. After it gets confirmed that the tooth requires a root canal, the process of extirpation will begin.
The tooth will be numbed, and a rubber clamp and dam will be placed around the tooth. A small opening will be made on top of the tooth to cleanse the root canal. Once done, the tooth will be rinsed with antibacterial solutions, which will help eliminate harmful bacteria. A temporary filling will be placed on top of the tooth for further steps.
- Instrumentation
In the second phase, instrumentation, the tooth is cleaned extensively and thoroughly. After extirpation, the patient follows up with the dentist after one or two weeks. In some cases, both stages of extirpation and instrumentation will be performed together. Instrumentation is similar to extirpation but is more thorough and cleans the tooth deeply.
Measurements of the root canal length will also be taken along with x-rays to get an actual size. Instrumentation also involves cleaning the entire length of the root canal. As a result, the instrumentation will eliminate bacteria and infection in the tooth’s root canal.
- Obturation
Obturation generally involves the filling of the tooth resulting from extirpation and instrumentation. Once the dentist becomes sure about removing or controlling bacteria and infection in the root canal, they start filling the tooth with a root filling. When observing the tooth for bacteria and illness, the dentist will check for any symptoms of dental illness in the tooth.
In obturation, the dentist will place a rubber clamp on the tooth, apply an antibacterial solution, dry the tooth, and place rubber points into the root canal to ensure that they are extending to three lengths of the root canal. The rubber points will be heated to seal them inside the root canal.
