Image Notes: Lower right first molar (center) after root canal therapy and crown: right-most two nerves have incomplete root canal and may need further therapy.
Root canals are the narrow, hollow passages inhabited by nerve tissue and blood vessels, among other things, located within the dentin of a tooth. The root canal ends in, and in the case of multiple canals, join at, the pulp chamber. In dentistry, a pulpectomy is the initial stage of endodontic therapy to cure an infection of the root canal; colloquially referred to as a root canal. Endodontic therapy, possibly coupled with internal bleaching, is also used to fix teeth that have discolored because of infiltration of decayed soft tissue into the dentin in the teeth, most often seen in anterior teeth that have been injured through a sudden impact.
Tooth Structure
At the center of a tooth is a hollow area that houses soft tissue, known as pulp. This hollow area contains a relatively large space towards the chewing surface of the tooth, called the pulp chamber. This pulp chamber is connected to the apex, or root tip or tips, of the tooth via narrow pipe-like canals—hence, the term "root canal". Human teeth normally have one to four canals, with posterior teeth having the greatest number. These canals run through the centre of the roots not unlike pencil lead runs through the length of a pencil. The tooth receives nutrition and sensory function through the blood vessels and nerves traversing these canals. Occasionally, a cavity on the outer surface of the tooth may cause this soft tissue to develop a transient inflammation, known as reversible pulpitis, or permanent infection, known as irreversible pulpitis. Left untreated, these purely pulpal conditions may progress into a periapical condition, which would then involved not only the tooth in question but also the surrounding periodontal ligament, bone and perhaps even the gingiva, at which point the infection and inflammation could cause severe pain and swelling. Preventive treatment is available and should take place before this happens.
Text and images are licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. Material is used from the Wikipedia article "Root canal".
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