If decay progresses to the first stage, a small filling will be required. If decay develops to the third stage depicted, root canal therapy will be required.

Endodontics is a specialty of dentistry, that deals with the tooth pulp and tissues surrounding the root of a tooth. The pulp (containing nerves, arterioles and venules as well as lymphatic tissue and fibrous tissue) can become diseased or injured and thus is unable to repair itself. The pulp then dies and endodontic treatment is required. Image File history File links ProgressOfDecay. ... Image File history File links ProgressOfDecay. ... A Dentist and Dental Assistant perform surgery on a patient. ... The dental pulp is the part in the center of a tooth made up of living soft tissue and cells called odontoblasts and others. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Nerves (yellow) Nerves redirects here. ...

Dentists specializing in this field are called endodontists and complete an additional 2-3 years of training following dental school. X-rays can reveal if a person has cavities Dentistry is the practical application of knowledge of dental science (the science of placement, arrangement, function of teeth) to human beings. ...

The most common procedure done in endodontics is root-canal therapy, which involves the removal of diseased pulp tissue. The aim of treatment is to remove infection caused by bacteria from inside the tooth. If left, the infection would leak out of the tooth's root and make the surrounding bone ill and painful. Once the diseased tissues are removed, the body's defense system can then repair the damage created by disease. Usually, this will require 2-3 visits to your dentist. The dentist will use a local anesthetic to make the procedure pain-free. In most places, it is considered a standard of care to use a rubber dam in order to isolate the tooth and provide a clean environment. An opening is made on the top of the tooth. Then the pulp chamber and root canals are cleaned and shaped for filling and sealing. Often, an intra-pulpal medicament to inhibit bacterial growth is placed and the tooth is filled with a temporary restoration until the second appointment, where the temporary restoration and medicament are removed and the canal(s) are sealed with gutta-percha--thus completing the procedure. Increasingly, however, endodontic treatment is being performed in one appointment as clinicians are finding fewer incidents of infection and pain with one-appointment vs. two appointment treatment. Root Canal procedure: unhealthy tooth, drilling, filing with endofile, rubber filling and crown. ... An infection is the detrimental colonization of a host organism by a foreign species. ... Subgroups Actinobacteria Aquificae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chlamydiae/Verrucomicrobia Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus-Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Nitrospirae Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Bacteria (singular: bacterium) are microscopic, unicellular organisms. ... For other uses, see Bone (disambiguation), including Bones which redirects here. ... Local anesthesia is any technique to render part of the body insensitive to pain without affecting consciousness. ... Anesthesia or anaesthesia (see spelling differences) has traditionally meant the process of blocking the perception of pain and other sensations. ... In tort law, the standard of care is the degree of prudence and caution required of an individual who is under a duty of care. ... Dental dams or rubber dams are essentially square sheets of latex used in dentistry, specifically endodontic treatment (root canals). ...

Other procedures practiced in endodontics include incision for drainage and periradicular surgery. These treatments are needed in cases of abscesses, root fractures, and problematic tooth anatomy. A cardiothoracic surgeon performs a mitral valve replacement at the Fitzsimons Army Medical Center. ... Look up Abscess in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Anatomical drawing of the human muscles from the Encyclopédie. ...

See also

• Journal of Endodontics
• University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry

The Journal of Endodontics is the official journal of the American Association of Endodontists and is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. ... The University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry. ...

External links

• International Endodontic Journal
• American Board of Endodontics