Achieving Good Dental Health Can Be Easier than You Think

Advanced Dental Tools For A Successful Root Canal

If you take great care of your teeth and see your dentist on a regular basis, then you likely have a gorgeous smile with very little decay. Your teeth should remain healthy as long as you follow the instructions that are provided by your dentist. Sometimes, however, small cracks or holes form in the teeth in between dental visits. This can allow bacteria to enter the insides of your teeth. Bacteria feed off the blood rich pulp and leave pus and other acidic fluids behind. This causes an infection and your dentist will need to perform a root canal. If you want the procedure to be completed easily and proficiently, ask your dental professional if the following tools will be used.

Nickel Titanium Files

During a root canal procedure, your dentist will need to drill a hole through the top crown of your tooth. The opening is necessary to gain access to all of the living tissues inside your tooth. The tissues include the dental pulp, capillaries, and the tooth nerve. Once the tooth is opened up, tools called dental files are forced inside so the infected material can be removed.  

Dentists typically use steel files that are textured or ridged along the sides. Unfortunately, these files are somewhat stiff and it can be difficult to reach into the small tooth roots. This can cause pressure and discomfort during the root canal, and it can take longer to clear out the tooth. This is not a problem if your oral professional uses nickel titanium files instead. These files are not only flexible, but they are stronger than steel. This means that the tips of the files will not break off when your dentist is cleaning the tooth. Ask your dentist if nickel titanium files will be used during your procedure.

Apex Locators

Your dentist needs to clean out your tooth entirely during the root canal to ensure the success of the procedure. Otherwise, a small bit of tissue or dental nerve material may degrade over time and cause another infection. Some dental roots are difficult to navigate though, because they twist or turn at the end, or apex. The dentist may then not be able to feel the edge of the root. Irrigation materials like sodium hypochlorite are used to get rid of bacteria and small bits of organic material, but this may not be sufficient if some of the nerve still lies in the tooth.

To make sure this is not an issue, make sure your dentist uses a device called an apex locator. The locator is a small electronic tool that finds the end of the dental root. The dentist can then see the shape of the tooth end and he or she can measure the distance from the top of the tooth to the edge of the root. The measurements are used to determine if the length of the dental file has reached far enough to properly clean the tooth of tissue material.

Laser Cleaning Tools

If you are lucky enough to see a dentist who is technologically advanced, then traditional files and drills may not be needed at all. This is the case when a laser cleaning device is used. The device utilizes a laser light to force the tissues, pus, and bacteria to break up inside the tooth. A high pressure water sprayer is used periodically during the treatment to release the debris. As the treatment progresses, the heat of the laser light sterilizes the dental root and the small openings in the dentin where bacteria are able to hide. This helps your dentist to clean your tooth more thoroughly than when traditional tools are utilized.

Once the laser cleaning is over, the root canal is finished with the placement of filling materials. Tooth medication and irrigation is not needed due to the deep sterilization and cleaning.

If you develop a dental infection at some point in your life, then your dentist will need to complete a root canal. Root canals can be completed quite successfully, and the success rate can increase if your dentist decides to use the tools and devices outlined above. For more information, contact a specialist like http://www.couchmandental.com.


Share