When the pulp becomes infected you feel a dull continuous throb which often wakes you up at night. You can’t apply any pressure to the tooth or eat properly because it causes pain. You may gain some relief from painkillers but it will return. The gum around the tooth may be swollen or red and tender and you may feel that the bite has changed. These symptoms are caused by a build up of pressure within the closed root canal system; the pus has got nowhere to drain to. Sometimes, if the pulp has died very slowly over a long period of time, you may not feel all of the symptoms described above. Chronic (slow to develop) abscesses are sometimes found on an X-ray, with the patient unaware of the problem.
A Rubber Dam is a thin square sheet of non-latex rubber used to isolate the treatment site from the rest of the mouth. Holes are made in the Rubber Dam to allow the teeth that are to be worked on to be isolated. Rubber Dam isolation during dental procedures has always been important. But especially during COVID as it helps to isolate the teeth to be treated from the rest of the mouth, protecting posible spread of the virus in small aerosol droplets.
Other advantages of a Rubber Dam are;
- protects the airway from infected tissue and tiny instruments used in RCT
- Prevents the tasting and swallowing of dental materials
- Creates a controlled, dry and clean working area
- More predictable and hence longer lasting restorations
Frequently asked questions
Root Canal Therapy (RCT) is a treatment used to remove infected or damaged tissue from inside your tooth and root. It is needed if:
- Decay has reached the living tissue (pulp) inside the tooth and has caused irreversible damage. The pulp dies and collects as pus at the end of the root (an abscess).
- The pulp has died as a result of trauma (a direct knock or blow) to the tooth. This often happens in childhood but it may not become a problem until many years later.
- Part of the tooth has fractured through the pulp .
- The tooth has required numerous large or deep fillings.
- The tooth has lost a lot of its bony support due to gum disease.
The opening to the tooth is sealed with a filling material. Over time the tooth is more than likely to discolour and more often than not a crown is needed to strengthen the tooth and restore its looks.
The only alternative is to extract the tooth which also removes the source of the infection and allows the area to heal.
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