The Story of My Root Canal (*auch!*)

Few weeks a go was a hell day for me... After coming back from embassy, I felt painful sensation in my lower left tooth, number 35th. Yes, I admit this tooth has been pain in the a** for quite sometimes, and I never took it seriously, thought it was just a tooth with a hole. But I can feel this time is different, there is something definitely wrong!!!
So I spent that night grinning, moaning and in the morning I look myself in the mirror and my face is no longer proportional... SH*T I said, what happened to my cheek? Then I started to take this tooth seriously, visiting dentist was the first thing crossed my mind!

I visited Thammasat Hospital and the dentist (the cute one...hehehe) said I must urdergo root canal treatment (*What the heck is it?*). I need fast treatment before I leave this country, so they refer me to private clinic in Bang Khan just nearby the hospital. I then went to this private clinic, and the dentist there told me that they can do it by 3-4 weeks since I have 4 root canals with problem....
So I did, every week until yesterday I visit them, and on my 3rd visit, the dentist said "problem solved!" I was grinning then, not in pain but in happiness! But... but I still want to know what is exactly my problem and how they fix it. I found some information about root canal and want to share with you! Here it goes.....
What Is Root Canal? While teeth are hard calcified objects, they are not completely solid. In the inner most aspect of every tooth there lies a hollow space which, when a tooth is healthy, contains the tooth's nerve tissue. Dentists use the following terms to refer to various portions of this nerve area:

The pulp chamber: This is a hollow space that lies more or less in the center of the tooth.
The root canals: From this point the nerve then runs through the center of the root in small "root canals" which subsequently join up with the tooth's pulp chamber
What was My Problem? I have two major symptoms which are related to degenerating pulp chamber/root canals: recurring pain and swelling. The dentist conclude that my root canals are 'dirty' and infected, therefore needs to be cleaned, I need a root canal treatment.
How My Dentist did the Root Canal Treatment? Here it goes step-by-step:

1. Placing rubber dam around the trouble tooth, after numbing my gum. The purpose is to prevent bacteria from saliva to contaminate the root canal when the dentist open and clean it.

2. Getting access to the pulp chamber by drilling the tooth. This is accomplished by using a dental drill and making an access hole which leads to the pulp chamber of the tooth. On back teeth this hole is made on the chewing surface of the tooth. On front teeth the access hole is made on the tooth's backside. In my case the hole was made on the chewing surface of my tooth.







3. Cleaning the tooth. This cleaning process will remove any bacteria, toxins, nerve tissue, and related debris harbored inside the tooth. The cleaning process is accomplished by way of the dentist using "root canal files". These objects look like straight pins but on closer inspection you will find that their surface is rough, not smooth. The dentist will work a series of root canal files, each of increasing diameter, up and down in your tooth while simultaneously using a twisting motion. This action will scrape and scrub the sides of the tooth's root canal(s), thus cleaning it out. Additionally, as part of the cleaning process your dentist will wash your tooth out periodically so to help flush away any debris that is present.

4. Placing filling material inside root canal. Once the tooth has been thoroughly cleaned the dentist can fill in and seal up its interior by way of placing root canal filling material. The most common root canal filling material being used by dentists now days is a rubber compound called gutta percha. Gutta percha comes in preformed cones that are sized to match the files which have been used to clean out the inside of the tooth.

After that my denstist put a post on my tooth and seal the hole, I felt definitely better since yesterday. What a relieve! In case you have the same problem (*not that I wish for it*), don't worry, the treatment is not as bad as you probably heard, it is in fact quite enjoyable... thinking of the relieve after every treatment and you feel better and better. The only thing maybe that you have to lie down on dental chair for 1-2 hours, with your mouth opened and your tooth drilled and sticked with some metal object.... hehehe.
Wanna find out more about this and dental treatments, click my source here