Title: What is the purpose of root canal treatment?
Segment #1: What part of the tooth is treated?
The objective of root canal therapy is the treatment of the "nerve space" inside a tooth.
Teeth are hard objects but they are not solid. Inside each tooth lies a hollow area that houses the tooth's "nerve," or as a dentist would say, "pulp tissue".
This space is generally divided into two portions. One is the "pulp chamber." That's a cavern that lies pretty much in the center of the tooth. And then, running the length of each tooth root, are the individual root canals.
Teeth usually have 1, 2 or 3 roots. Our diagram here shows a molar that has two. And then every tooth's root will have at least one root canal, some will have two or more.
Here on Dental-Picture-Show.com we have a chart that lists the number of roots and root canals different types of teeth usually have. The reason this might be of interest to you is because the amount of time it takes your dentist to complete your treatment, as well as the fee they charge, are both, to a great degree, based on the total number of canals they are treating.
If you'd like more information about these issues, look for links below this video that will take you to the Dental-Picture-Show.com pages that discuss them in greater detail.
So, to wrap up this introductory segment, when you're having root canal therapy you'll now know what your dentist's goal is. They're treating (and that means cleaning, disinfecting and sealing - we'll explain more about that in our next segment) the hollow nerve space that lies inside your tooth.
Title: What is the purpose of root canal treatment?
Segment #2: Why does the nerve space need to be treated?
As you've just learned in our first segment, when a dentist performs root canal therapy their objective is to treat the nerve space, or more specifically the pulp chamber and root canals, which lie inside the tooth.
Of course, the obvious question then becomes, why does this space require treatment?
On a case by case basis, the specific reason why root canal therapy must be performed varies. And on this Dental-Picture-Show.com page we describe some possible scenarios where it may be indicated. For our video here, however, we're just going to say that, it's used to treat teeth whose pulp tissue either has, or ultimately will, die.
With that definition, and if we just examine the case where a tooth's nerve actually has died, then it's fairly easy to understand why root canal treatment becomes mandatory if the tooth is going to be saved.
With the death of a tooth, a situation develops where the hollow space previously occupied by the tooth's pulp tissue can now become a residence for bacteria and assorted contaminates.
Consider this. When bacteria and debris invade our body, like through a cut in our skin, our immune system immediately kicks into gear. And as a part of this response, it sends white blood cells, by way of our blood and lymphatic systems, to the affected area, so they can challenge and dispose of the invading foreign objects.
Live pulp tissue does contain blood and lymph vessels but once this tissue has died off, the nerve space inside the tooth is simply a hollow cavern. It's a space where bacteria and debris can accumulate, but there's no system (no lymphatic or blood vessels) available to efficiently service the immune system's needs so it can, in normal fashion, effectively combat and dispose of the mess.
The result is a situation where, at minimum, the tissue surrounding the tooth will be chronically irritated due to the persistent leakage of contaminates from the tooth. Or, much worse, one where the person experiences an acute tooth flare-up (as in pain and swelling) because the person's immune system can't keep the bacteria inside the tooth in check.
So, at least in part, you can think of the purpose of root canal therapy as being a treatment that provides a way of cleaning and disinfecting the hollow inside of a tooth. In short, it assists your body in doing what otherwise it's unable to do on its own.
Title: What is the purpose of root canal treatment?
Segment #3: Creating a seal for the cleansed nerve space.
The second video in this series explained why the cleaning and disinfecting objectives of root canal treatment are so important. But really, that's just part of the story. After all, if this hollow space inside the tooth is so indefensible, what's to keep it from becoming re-contaminated over time?
That's where the second goal of root canal therapy comes into play. Once a tooth has been disinfected, this cleanliness must be preserved. The dentist insures this by creating a seal for the tooth's hollow interior.
In most cases, a tooth is sealed using a rubber compound called gutta percha. Our video here on Dental-Picture-Show.com that describes the individual steps of root canal treatment provides an explanation about how it is placed.
The function of the seal is actually two-fold. As you might expect, it helps to prevent bacteria and contaminates from seeping back into the tooth's root. Maybe less anticipated, it also helps to prevent contaminates still remaining inside the tooth from continuing to leach out.
The reality of root canal anatomy is not unlike a river, where small side channels branch off and then re-enter the main stream. In those cases where some traces of contaminates still remain, the seal that the dentist creates must entomb them so they can't continue to seep out and irritate the tissues that surround the tooth's root.
We'll also mention that another aspect of creating an adequate seal for a tooth has to do with the final restoration that's placed after treatment has been completed. This restoration must create a barrier at the chewing aspect of the tooth, so to prevent contaminates from re-entering via this pathway. The type of restoration that is chosen for this seal is an important consideration and can significantly influence the long-term success of the treatment the tooth has received. We have a video that covers this topic in detail here on Dental-Picture-Show.com.
