What is Endodontics?
Endodontics is the diagnosis and treatment of inflamed and damaged pulps. Teeth are made up of protective hard covering (enamel, dentin and cementum) encasing a soft tissue living tissue called pulp.
Pulp c0ntains blood vessels, nerves, fibers and connective tissue. The pulp extends from the crown of the tooth to the tip of the roots where it connects to the tissues surrounding the root. The pulp is important during a tooth’s growth and developement. However, once a tooth is fully mature it can survive without the pulp, because the tooth continues to be nourished by the tissues surrounding it.
Root canal treatment is the removal of inflamed and/or infected dental pulp tissue from the root canal system, shaping and filling the root canals of a diseased tooth. The key factor in the development of pulpal inflammation and breakdown of the supporting tissues of the tooth (periradicular tissues) is the presence of bacteria. These endodontal infections (infections within teeth) are usually characterized by loss of integrity of the crown, invasion by bacteria, and destruction of enamel, dentine, and eventual pulpal involvement. Dental caries, trauma, tooth surface loss, and microleakage around tooth fillings can lead to endodontal infection. In situations where there has been periradicular breakdown, root canal treatment will result in the return of the health of the periradicular tissues. Ultimately, root canal treatment preserves teeth as functional units within the dental arch.