Root canal treatment
| Root canal treatment | |
|---|---|
Tooth #13, the upper left second premolar, after excavation of DO decay. There was a carious exposure into the pulp chamber (red oval), and the photo was taken after endodontic access was initiated and the roof of the chamber was removed. | |
| Specialty | Endodontics |
Root canal treatment (also known as endodontic therapy, endodontic treatment, or root canal therapy) is a treatment sequence for the infected pulp of a tooth that is intended to result in the elimination of infection and the protection of the decontaminated tooth from future microbial invasion. It is generally done when the cavity is too big for a normal filling.[1] Root canals, and their associated pulp chamber, are the physical hollows within a tooth that are naturally inhabited by nerve tissue, blood vessels and other cellular entities.[2]
Endodontic therapy involves the removal of these structures, disinfection and the subsequent shaping, cleaning, and decontamination of the hollows with small files and irrigating solutions, and the obturation (filling) of the decontaminated canals. Filling of the cleaned and decontaminated canals is done with an inert filling such as gutta-percha and typically a zinc oxide eugenol-based cement.[3] Epoxy resin is employed to bind gutta-percha in some root canal procedures.[4] In the past, in the discredited Sargenti method,[5][6] an antiseptic filling material containing paraformaldehyde like N2 was used. Endodontics includes both primary and secondary endodontic treatments as well as periradicular surgery which is generally used for teeth that still have potential for salvage.[7][8]
- ^ Cohen S (2006). Pathways of the Pulp. Mosby. ISBN 978-0-323-03067-0.
- ^ Nanci A (2012). Ten Cate's Oral Histology: Development, Structure, and Function. Mosby. ISBN 978-0-323-07846-7.
- ^ Patel S (2013). The Principles of Endodontics. OUP Oxford. ISBN 978-0-19-965751-3.
- ^ Marciano MA, Ordinola-Zapata R, Cunha TV, Duarte MA, Cavenago BC, Garcia RB, Bramante CM, Bernardineli N, Moraes IG (April 2011). "Analysis of four gutta-percha techniques used to fill mesial root canals of mandibular molars". International Endodontic Journal. 44 (4): 321–9. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2591.2010.01832.x. PMID 21219361.
- ^ "AAE Position Statement: Concerning Paraformaldehyde-containing Endodontic Filling Materials and Sealers" (PDF). 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
- ^ "Be Wary of Sargenti Root Canal Treatment | Quackwatch". May 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
- ^ Setzer FC, Kim S (January 2014). "Comparison of long-term survival of implants and endodontically treated teeth". Journal of Dental Research. 93 (1): 19–26. doi:10.1177/0022034513504782. PMC 3872851. PMID 24065635.
- ^ Kishen A, Peters OA, Zehnder M, Diogenes AR, Nair MK (May 1, 2016). "Advances in endodontics: Potential applications in clinical practice". Journal of Conservative Dentistry. 19 (3): 199–206. doi:10.4103/0972-0707.181925. PMC 4872571. PMID 27217630.