5 Ways to Prevent Root Canal Failure
Learn about the 5 most important details that must be attended to during a root canal.
Root canal therapy has an undeserved reputation for being a frightening and painful procedure. Some people may even tell you that since they have had a root canal that failed you shouldn’t even bother to try this treatment. In reality, root canal therapy does not cause pain—it cures it. When performed by an experienced dentist, root canal therapy has a very high rate of success in relieving severe toothache pain and saving damaged teeth from extraction.
The key to a good experience with your root canal therapy is to find a talented dentist who can fulfil these 5 requirements for a successful root canal.
Know Which Teeth to Treat
One possible cause for a root canal to fail is that the tooth was actually not a good candidate for the procedure in the first place. For example, if a tooth has a crack or fracture down in the root, bacteria will be able to re-enter the tooth following the root canal, causing reinfection. Though root fractures do not show up on x-rays, the pattern of infection they cause does and a talented dentist will be able to identify this pattern and advise you that the tooth is not a good candidate for root canal therapy.
Identify All Canals
For teeth that are good candidates for root canal therapy, the most common reason for the procedure to fail is that the dentist has not located and treated all of the canals or roots. Depending on the tooth that is being treated, it may have one, two, three, or even four canals so it is essential to use the latest imaging technology to look carefully for all canals.
Treat All Canals Completely
Another issue that a talented dentist will guard against is the failure to treat the full length of each canal to make sure all bacteria and infected tissue are removed. Dentists that do not provide root canals very often may not have the right tools to treat tricky canals, but an experienced root canal provider will have the extra-fine root canal files that are needed to reach every millimeter of the canal.
Remove All Tissue
An experienced dentist will inspect the inside of the tooth very carefully before filling it to make sure all traces of tissue have been removed. This may require the use of special tools like microscopes. Any tissue that gets left behind could serve as food for any bacteria that may somehow enter the tooth later on.
Protect Against Bacterial Contamination
One final precaution that a dentist should take to reduce the risk of root canal failure is to place a rubber dam in the patient’s mouth during the procedure. This not only protects against any debris being swallowed by the patient, but prevents the newly cleaned tooth from being contaminated by bacteria present in the patient’s saliva before the dentist seals it up.
