Endodontic Therapy (Root Canal)

Category: infrastructure

A sequence of treatment for the infected pulp of a tooth which results in the elimination of infection and the protection of the decontaminated tooth.

The dentist drills into the tooth, removes the infected pulp (the living nerve and blood vessels), disinfects the hollowed canal, and fills it with a sterile inert material called gutta-percha. This saves the tooth structure from extraction.

Common Examples

• The severe tooth pain indicated an infected nerve, necessitating immediate endodontic therapy to clean and seal the internal pulp chamber.
• Modern endodontic therapy is highly successful at preserving natural tooth structure that would otherwise require a complete extraction.