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Page 1: Root Canal Treatment - dental.ufl.edu · What is root canal treatment? 2 Teeth are made up of three hard layers: • enamel • dentin, and • cementum There is a space inside the

RootCanalTreatment

C A N A D I A N D E N T A L A S S O C I A T I O ND E N T A L I N F O R M A T I O N S Y S T E M

Page 2: Root Canal Treatment - dental.ufl.edu · What is root canal treatment? 2 Teeth are made up of three hard layers: • enamel • dentin, and • cementum There is a space inside the

The Dental InformationSystem (D.I.S.) is a series ofbooklets by the CanadianDental Association (CDA).The CDA is the nationalorganization of the dental profession. The CDA’s goal isthat you have the best dentalhealth possible. The D.I.S. can help you reach this goal.

The booklets in the D.I.S. are:• Bleaching, Bonding and Veneers • Care After Minor Oral Surgery• Dental Care for Seniors• Growing Up...What It Means

for Your Child’s Dental Health• Gum Disease • Orthodontics • Personal Dental Care• Restoring and Replacing

Your Teeth• Root Canal Treatment• Taking Care of Cavities• The ABCs of Caring for Your

Child’s Teeth• The Check-up • TMD (Temporomandibular

Disorders) • You and Your Dentist —

Oral Health Care Partners

To learn even more about yourdental health, talk to your dentist. To learn more aboutthe CDA, visit our web site atwww.cda-adc.ca.

The CDA would like to thankthe following people for theircontribution to this edition ofRoot Canal Treatment: on behalf of the CanadianAcademy of Endodontics,Dr. Howard Fogel.

The CDA would also like to thank:Dr. Tom BrenemanDr. Chantal FortierDr. Patricia MainDr. Elizabeth Van Heyst.

The CDA is grateful to Colgate-Palmolive for its generous support of the D.I.S. Colgate-Palmolive’ssponsorship has made this program possible. The D.I.S.booklets are produced and distributed by CanadianDental Service Plans Inc.

© 1999 Canadian Dental Association

Page 3: Root Canal Treatment - dental.ufl.edu · What is root canal treatment? 2 Teeth are made up of three hard layers: • enamel • dentin, and • cementum There is a space inside the

Dentists today believe thatthe best teeth are yourown, and they try theirbest to make sure you donot lose any of them.Successful root canal treat-ment lets you keep yourtooth. The only otheroption is to have yourtooth removed.

Keeping your tooth helpsto prevent your otherteeth from drifting out of line and causing jaw problems or gum disease.Saving a natural toothavoids having to replace it with either a bridge oran implant.

Root Canal Treatment

This booklet is about rootcanal treatment.

Here’s what you willlearn about in thisbooklet:

What is root canal treatment? page 2

When root canal treatment is needed page 3

Dentists and rootcanal treatment page 4

How it is done page 5

Things to consider page 7

Root canal retreatment and root canal surgery page 9

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Page 4: Root Canal Treatment - dental.ufl.edu · What is root canal treatment? 2 Teeth are made up of three hard layers: • enamel • dentin, and • cementum There is a space inside the

What is rootcanal treatment?

2

Teeth are made up of threehard layers:• enamel • dentin, and• cementum

There is a space inside thehard layers of each tooth. It iscalled the root canal systemand it is filled with soft dentalpulp. This pulp is made up of

nerves and blood vessels thathelp the tooth grow and develop. Once a tooth is fullygrown, it can survive without a pulp. If the pulp of a tooth becomes infected, then a root canal (or endodontictreatment) is needed. Whenthis is done, the pulp isremoved.

A healthy tooth

Enamel

Dentin

Gum

Pulp Chamber

Root CanalContaining Pulp Tissue

Supporting Ligament

Accessory Canal

Root End Opening Bone

Crown

Root

Page 5: Root Canal Treatment - dental.ufl.edu · What is root canal treatment? 2 Teeth are made up of three hard layers: • enamel • dentin, and • cementum There is a space inside the

When root canaltreatment isneededThe pulp inside a tooth can bedamaged by cracks in the tooth,deep cavities or accidents.Germs (or bacteria) can get intothe tooth and can lead to infect-ed tooth pulp. This may causepain and/or swelling. Some-times, a pulp becomes infectedor dies, but does not cause anypain. Your dentist may notice:• changes in the colour of

the tooth,

• changes in your gums or• changes picked up by a

dental x-ray.

Sometimes, if a great deal ofdental work is needed, yourdentist can tell from your examand x-rays that the pulp of atooth is not likely to survive.

In all these cases, root canaltreatment can ease or preventsymptoms, and save the tooth.

3An abscessed tooth

Decay

DamagedPulp

Abscess