I'm sure most of my readers have already heard of the term root canal. What is it? Why are people afraid and apprehensive at the thought of having to buy one?… I'll get to that later!

Root canal therapy is the treatment of inflamed pulp tissue from a diseased or infected tooth. This pulp tissue consists of blood vessels and nerve networks. Each tooth has its own blood and nerve supply.

This pulp tissue is located in the narrow space in the center of the root or roots of the tooth. This space is also referred to as the canal of a single-rooted tooth, such as a central incisor, or the canals of a multi-rooted tooth, such as a molar. Most molars have at least three channels and some may have four or more!

When the pulp tissue becomes irritated or damaged as a result of prolonged caries activity or from a blow or traumatic injury, an infection of the pulp usually develops. This infection can be acute or chronic, depending on the circumstances that initially caused the infection or damage.

One of the most common causes of dental nerve damage is trauma. The traumatized tooth may initially become loose and painful and eventually harden, but later discolor (darken) . The teeth usually involved in this type of situation are the maxillary (front) teeth (upper jaw) and, less commonly, the front teeth (lower jaw).

If you ever notice that another person's front tooth or teeth are dark in color, you can rest assured that a particular tooth has been traumatized. The dentist refers to this type of tooth as a non-vital, chronically infected tooth with no painful symptoms.

Traumatized teeth can remain inactive and chronic for years without causing pain and therefore do not require immediate treatment. While other traumatized teeth can lead to an acute situation where root canal treatment is needed as soon as possible.

Then there are teeth that lose their vitality due to a long-term carious lesion that goes untreated and causes the nerve tissue to become inflamed or infected. These types of neglected teeth can become chronic at first with little or no associated pain and then become acute, followed by significant swelling and pain.

The chronically infected devitalized tooth may not show any other symptoms except obvious discoloration. Before the start of the treatment, an X-ray of the tooth(s) concerned is ALWAYS indicated.

Root canal therapy involves removing diseased or infected pulp tissue, using files and reamers to instrument the canal until it is free of bacteria. It is then sterilized and filled or hermetically sealed with biocompatible filling material, such as gutta-percha, a rubbery material that is usually pink in color.

It is important to treat devitalized teeth as soon as possible to prevent the infection from reaching the surrounding bone tissue and causing additional problems.

Root canal therapy is usually done in one appointment, but depending on the individual situation, a series of appointments may be needed to complete treatment.

Due to the many variations in tooth root shapes, sizes, and positions, not all teeth that require root canal treatment can be treated successfully. Successful endodontic treatment is generally possible if all canals are located, accessible for instrumentation, sterilized, sealed, and hermetically sealed.

Root canal fees vary based on the number of roots involved. The more roots and canals a tooth has, the more it costs to treat.

Root canal therapy is very successful for the most part. Probably in the 90 to 95% range. Most root canals are easy and without pain or consequences. That said, however, there are situations where root canal treatment can be very painful and undesirable.

While this rarely happens, this is the situation most people will remember and tell everyone about the root canal ordeal they've been through. Most people never talk about the easy or silent root canal treatments that usually happen.

When teeth have to undergo root canal treatment, it is important to realize that the affected tooth will no longer be as strong as it once was. It will dry out and become brittle. This makes it more prone to breakage.