Endodontic treatment is commonly known as "root canal". "Endo" is the Greek word for "inside" and "odont" is Greek for "tooth". Endodontic treatment treats the inside of the tooth.

To understand endodontic treatment, it helps to know something about the anatomy of the tooth. Inside the tooth, under the white enamel and a hard layer called the dentin, is a soft tissue called the pulp. The pulp contains blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissue and creates the surrounding hard tissues of the tooth during development.

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 development. 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.

Nonsurgical Root Canal

The objective of performing root canal therapy is to remove the diseased tissue within the root canal system. The pulp, which supplies the blood supply and the nerve inside the tooth, can become inflamed or infected due to deep decay, repeated dental procedures and/or cracks or chips in fillings or teeth. The symptoms associated with root canal treatment include lingering pain to cold or hot, inability to chew and/or spontaneous pain. Swelling and tenderness around the gum tissue, at or near the end of the roots can also be symptoms of an infected tooth.

Endodontic Retreatment

Endodontic retreatment becomes necessary when a tooth does not heal after the initial root canal therapy. The reasons for this are numerous and can include:

1.Narrow or curved canals that could not be negotiated during the initial treatment.

2.New decay under an old restoration.

3.An ill-fitting restoration that caused leakage of bacteria along the side of the root canal filling, therefore causing an infection.

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