What is endodontics?
When a patient comes to the consultation with the reason for pain that is accentuated with thermal changes – cold, heat – or with sweets, the first suspicion is that a tooth or molar has extensive caries.
This decay has advanced inside the piece until it reaches its innermost part, the dental pulp.
At this time, the indicated treatment is endodontics, or what is commonly known as “killing the nerve.”
Endodontics is performed under local anesthesia and absolute isolation in one or two clinical sessions.
It consists of eliminating all the bacteria that have invaded the pulp and sealing it completely.
Once completed, the treated tooth must be reconstructed.
To prevent cavities from affecting the dental pulp, it is important to have regular check-ups with specific x-rays. This way, cavities can be diagnosed in a less advanced state and treated conventionally.
The alternative to endodontics is the extraction of the piece (the most common cause of tooth loss in elderly patients).