Root Canal Treatment

Don't ignore the small problem, it might bring a big impact to you.

           When I was thirteen, while I'm playing basketball during PE class, I bumped into my friend and her basketball hit me. One of my front teeth dropped down. My teacher sent me and my dropped tooth to the dentist immediately. The dentist put the tooth back into the "hole" and used something to stick the teeth with the gum. He said, "This is to try whether your nerve in the tooth is alive and functioning or not, you have to come back after two weeks ." But, I didn't go back for the referral.

           When I was nineteen, I went to another dentist because the gum of the dropped tooth had swollen and painful. The dentist was shocked when she saw my tooth and she told me that the things that used to stick the tooth with my gum can only put for a few month, but it was in my mouth for six years. The X-ray shows that there is abscess at the roots of the tooth and I have to remove it to avoid any complication. Thus, I need to do root canal treatment.

     

Root Canal treatment is used to repair and save a damaged or infected tooth.  Our tooth is made up of two parts. Inside the tooth, under the white enamel (the hard outer coating) and a hard layer called the dentin, the soft tissue under the dentin called the pulp. The pulp contains blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissue. 

The pulp will begin to die if it's infected by bacteria. Bacteria can then multiply and spread. If this keeps up, it can cause the tissues around the end of the tooth to become red, swollen and painful (This is exactly my case). 


During root canal or endodontic treatment, the inflamed or infected pulp is removed and the inside of the tooth is carefully cleaned and disinfected, then filled and sealed with a rubber-like material called gutta-percha. Afterwards, the tooth is restored with a crown or filling for protection. After restoration, the tooth continues to function like any other tooth. 

I will go to the dentist for the treatment in this few week. I really hope that there's another solution to solve it. *Sighhhh*

If there is a chance, I'm sure I will go for the referral. And now, I just hope that it is not as pain as I think. *Blessing* 



Lesson of the day: 
Don't skip the referral.