Oral Advancements That Have Improved Root Canals
When it comes to oral health, nothing can take the place of your natural teeth. The teeth are responsible for stimulating the jaw bone during chewing and acting as facilitators of the first stages of digestion.
A tooth that has sustained serious decay will need to be repaired in order to remain an efficient part of your oral structure. The best way to complete these repairs is through a root canal.
Unfortunately, preconceived misconceptions and unfounded fears prevent many patients from getting the root canal they need to save a tooth. Avoiding a root canal could result in the need for an extraction and dental implant, so it's best to educate yourself on the advancements in root canal technology so that you will feel confident relying on these procedures in the future.
3-D Technology
The widespread availability of 3-D technology has made its way into the oral health field. Endodontists can utilize specialized computer programs that allow them to generate three-dimensional images of a patient's tooth.
This 3-D view provides a better understanding of the structure of the tooth and the pathology that led to the need for a root canal in the first place. Endodontists can better assess the tools and techniques that will be required for a successful root canal when they rely on 3-D technology during the preparatory phases of the procedure.
Dental Operating Microscopes
An endodontist faces the unique challenge of working in a very limited space while completing a root canal.
Maintaining visual contact with the tooth's interior at all times used to be a challenge, but technology has made it possible for an endodontist to keep his or her eyes on the root, pulp, and nerve of the tooth being treated at all times.
Dental operating microscopes are used to magnify the procedure area. Using the visual information provided by the dental operating microscope in coordination with the 3-D images of the tooth captured during prep can allow an endodontist to successfully treat any tooth using a root canal procedure.
Advanced Anesthesia
Many dental patients experience a high level of fear or anxiety when it comes to undergoing dental procedures. A root canal is often thought of as being extremely painful and difficult to sit through.
Advanced anesthesia techniques can virtually eliminate any discomfort that a patient might feel during a root canal. Those patients with phobias can opt for sedation dentistry. Partial sedation and local anesthesia are also options that can be used to make root canals a more pleasant experience.