How to take care and protect teeth after root canal treatment?

This is an automatically translated article.

Article by Doctor Lai Do Quyen - Department of Interspecialty, Vinmec Times City International General Hospital.

Questions that you often wonder are: teeth after root canal treatment or root canal treatment will become dead teeth, can the teeth be used and how long the teeth will last,...? Those are the problems in this article, we - the dentists of Vinmec Times City International Hospital want to share with you.

1. Why do teeth after root canal treatment become dead teeth?

The pulp is a special connective tissue consisting of blood vessels and nerves, located in the pulp cavity in the middle of each tooth and surrounded by the hard tissue of the tooth (including enamel and dentin). The blood vessels and nerves that make up the pulp are separated from the facial nerve and blood vessel branches and enter the tooth from the apex of the root.
Dental pulp plays an important role in nourishing tooth organization, regenerating dentin organization, protecting teeth and giving sensation to teeth.
Root canal treatment or root canal treatment is a procedure in which the entire pulp, including the diseased pulp and the remaining pulp, must be removed. Just like other parts of the body, when there are no blood vessels and nerves, that organization will die and so will the teeth.

2. When the tooth is dead, can it be used?

Other organs when dead will not be used and must be removed immediately from the body to avoid fatal complications, but teeth alone are not? Why is that?
Because:
The hard organizational structure of teeth is mainly inorganic, including Hydroxy Apatide and Fluor Apatide salts, of which enamel contains 96% and dentin accounts for 70-80%. Due to such a structure, when the tooth pulp is no longer available, the hard tissue still exists and the tooth does not atrophy. The hard organization of the teeth, in addition to the pulp, is also nourished by saliva and is always kept moist by saliva in the mouth, so the teeth still ensure aesthetic and chewing functions. However, these functions will be weakened due to the lack of role of the pulp.

3. How long will the teeth last after root canal treatment?

Teeth after root canal treatment will have a lot of changes, no longer as strong as the original because the teeth only have enamel and dentin left, the dentin part will not be continuously regenerated, long-term will lead to some symptoms Example:
The strength of the teeth decreases gradually: the main source of nourishment for the tooth is the pulp has been removed, so the strength of the tooth will decrease over time. Teeth become brittle and fragile: when the pulp is no longer available, dentin and enamel lose their strength and elasticity. The pulp helps the tooth feel the temperature and impact force, so there are adaptive interactions to avoid abnormal chipping and breakage. When the tooth pulp is lost, this ability to feel will no longer exist, the tooth will not be able to adapt to the impact of heat and external force, so that the tooth will be easily broken along or across the crown. On the other hand, teeth after root canal treatment often have large fillings, the adhesion of the fillings to the surfaces of the teeth is sometimes not good, making the teeth unable to form a solid block to resist the continuous impact of chewing force on a daily basis. The chewing strength of the teeth is reduced: the teeth are no longer strong and there is no pulp, so they cannot feel food, so the teeth not only have poor bearing capacity but also do not recognize the properties of food to create chewing force. suitable. This is also the main cause of fragile teeth. Because they cannot feel food, the teeth do not create the appropriate force, causing the teeth to break when encountering foods that are too hard or too chewy.

Teeth will be worn out after taking the pulp: the pulp has the role of creating dentin continuously to compensate for the damage of the teeth due to chewing. After the pulp is removed, the dentin is no longer continuously accreted, so over time, the tooth will gradually wear down. The fillings on the teeth that take the pulp for a long time will be peeled off, which will cause bacteria to attack, create an outbreak that completely damages the teeth, causing you to have to go to the dentist again, sometimes bacteria will attack and spread. to the remaining healthy teeth. Teeth after root canal treatment may still be decayed due to food and dirt stuck in holes in the tooth surface or in difficult-to-clean places. In addition to causing tooth decay, decaying food also causes bad odors, tartar and related dental diseases. Because the tooth is no longer feeling, many times the hole is large or the tooth is broken or chipped without you noticing. This is very dangerous because the tooth may have to be extracted due to the loss of too much tissue. If the tooth that has taken the pulp is not protected immediately after root canal treatment, the tooth will not be able to eat chewing and will not last long in the mouth.

4. How to care and protect teeth after root canal treatment?

Teeth after root canal treatment, if properly cared for and protected, will last a long time in the mouth to ensure the full function of the teeth, such as chewing, speaking, aesthetics and protection.
Ways to care for and protect teeth that have been treated for root canals include:
The reconstruction of the crown after root canal treatment is very important. The filling material must be suitable for the crown to be strong enough. Sometimes the crown is lost a lot due to decay, breakage, the remaining tooth structure is small, the dentist has to "reinforce" the part of the pin that plugs into the root canal of the tooth root so that the crown is strong and withstands chewing force. Root canal treated teeth should be covered as soon as possible. Studies have shown that teeth, covering a tooth that has undergone root canal treatment with a crown or crown should be carried out immediately after the completion of the root canal treatment will provide the highest protection for the tooth. The dentist will advise you on the material to make the crown to both ensure the chewing function of the teeth and ensure the aesthetic function of the teeth. Diet: you should limit eating foods that are too hard, too chewy, too hot or too cold to avoid the tooth structure not adapting to cause cracking and breaking teeth.

You should chew carefully and chew food slowly as well as avoid chewing too much on the treated tooth to avoid cracking and breaking the tooth. Maintain proper oral hygiene. Brush your teeth and clean between your teeth with dental floss at least once a day. You should go to the dentist and get tartar periodically to ensure clean oral hygiene, timely detection of tooth decay, possible complications after root canal treatment. When you have dental problems, you can choose to visit Vinmec International General Hospital. At Vinmec, patients will be examined and treated by a team of experienced and highly specialized doctors, with the support of a system of modern specialized machines, absolutely sterile.

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