Root Canal Treatment
A root canal for Hong Kong patients is a procedure in which the infected pulp is removed. It is also known as endodontic root canal treatment in HK. You may require more than one appointment for a root canal in HK, and it can save a tooth that is giving you immense pain.
Painless Root Canal in Hong Kong
Painless root canal treatment is an endodontic procedure that is used to treat teeth that have become infected or diseased. This root canal treatment in HK is very safe and is used to preserve your own tooth since there is no real substitute for your own teeth.
The root canal HK option would be recommended to you by Dr. Tong usually if you come in with symptoms of tooth pain such as a throbbing dull ache coming from a specific tooth, severe spontaneous pain from a tooth that does not go away even with painkillers or keeps you up at night, or if there is a swelling or recurrent pimple that appears along your gums. Depending on how much tooth structure is left, this root canal Hong Kong option would be offered. But in some cases, if left unattended for too long, an extraction may be the better option.
At our surgery, we aim to provide you with advanced and comfortable experience in root canal treatments. Dr. Tong is passionate about endodontics, and will provide you with reliable results for root canals in HK.
When Do I Need a Root Canal HK Procedure?
If a tooth is damaged which has compromised the pulp or has infected it, a root canal treatment can save the tooth otherwise it would require extracting it. You may need a root canal treatment in HK if the tooth has become infected or damaged by decay, wear, cracked, periodontal disease, cracked filling, severe trauma or even repeated past procedures on the same tooth.
If you suspect you have an infected tooth that may require a root canal treatment, some signs to lookout for may include one or more of the following:
- Persistent pain that can come and go, or bothers you all the time
- Pain that radiates around the face or jaw
- Tooth sensitivity to cold or hot foods/drinks
- Discoloured tooth
- Swollen gums
- Pimple on the gums
- Pain when eating or chewing
- Chipped or a cracked tooth
- Teeth that feel loose and mobile
To prevent the tooth from giving you further problems in the surrounding bone, to avoid an abscess and avoid the need for tooth extractions, root canal treatment in HK will be the best choice in these cases.
Structure of a Root Canal
The basic morphology of a tooth includes a fine network of canals that run from the tip of the root to the crown of the tooth. Just imagine a tree that has its roots tracking up to the leaves of the tree. The canals are made up of nerves and blood vessels and connective tissue called the “pulp”. The pulp receives nutrients from the blood vessels and the nerves help to give delivery sensory signals back to the brain. Signals that track via a root canal system may include heat, pressure or pain.
Root canal in Hong Kong is the term for this chamber that confines the pulp, meanwhile root canal treatment is the term used when the tooth needs to be relieved of pain after there has been irreversible damage to the tooth.
The pulp chamber combined with root canals make up the anatomy and they both contain “pulp”. Each tooth has a different number of root canals for HK patients, and some teeth contain more canals than usual which are also called “accessory canals”. Multiple accessory canals, if combined with other factors such as variation in shape or size of the root canal can make treatment complex and difficult and would most likely require more time and care in treating. If an accessory canal is left untreated, the tooth can remain infected and continue to cause pain.
To avoid possible complications during root canal Hong Kong procedures, we make sure to use correct imaging techniques (x-ray scanning), magnification techniques to ensure that all root canal in HK patients have been discovered. If in any root canal treatment HK cases, where the tooth may require more specialised treatment, it would be advised to seek advice from an endodontic specialist, where they have microscopic technology to help with treatment.
Steps in Root Canal Treatment HK Procedure
There are 3 layers in a tooth – the outer enamel layer, the inner dentin layer, and finally the pulp (a.k.a. root canal system), where all the nerves and blood vessels keep your teeth alive and well.
When there is an invasion of bacteria or trauma to the tooth that leads to infection spreading to the pulp, pain commences, or an abscess may form. In order to remove the infection so that the tooth can be preserved, 3 main steps may be followed during root canal treatments in HK:
Step 1: Relief of pain
Locating and removing all infected tissue inside the root canal system of Hong Kong patients.
Step 2: Cleaning & shaping the root canals of HK patients
Each root canal of Hong Kong patients will be cleaned and shaped to ideal sizes by endodontic files in order to fit the filling material, medication would also be placed to aid in the healing stage. (Depending on how long the infection has been present, the healing stage of root canal treatment in Hong Kong may be prolonged, and additional appointments may be required for re-application of medication.)
Step 3: Filling & sealing the root canal system
Once cleaned and healed, an inert filling material and cement is used to seal off the root canals of Hong Kong patients to prevent future infection. Oftentimes, an infected tooth has lost most of its structure and in order to protect this weakened tooth, the ideal long-term prevention of the tooth from breaking would be by placing a crown. This would offer a strong and complete coverage of the tooth, and this would be discussed with you prior to commencing the root canal treatment.
Step 4: Polishing
We are one of the few surgeries in Hong Kong to offer dental cleaning using EMS Airflow therapy. This latest advancement enables us to provide more comfortable and minimally invasive therapy to remove bacteria and especially dark stains on the teeth that require professional teeth cleaning to be removed properly.
Another option for polishing after teeth cleaning (especially for children) is a rubber cup and prophy paste. Each tooth will be smoothened, and plaque will be removed.
Step 5: Flossing
After all the bacteria and calculus has been removed within the gum pockets, the dental cleaning HK procedure is ended with flossing in between the teeth with floss or an interproximal brush. After teeth cleaning, we will also demonstrate how to use these so that you can also floss on a daily basis at home.
Benefits of Root Canal Treatment in Hong Kong
Treats traumatised teeth:
- If the tooth has a pre-existing fracture and has damaged pulp/nerve tissue, root canal treatment will be able to remove the source of infection and bacteria.
Treats discoloured teeth:
- If you have had traumatised teeth, there is a high chance that your tooth can become discoloured and appear a few shades darker than your other teeth. This is because the trauma has caused irreversible damage to the connective tissues and necrosis (death) of the nerve tissues. Root canal in HK can remove internal stains by going into the tooth and performing bleaching procedures to brighten up the tooth from within. This is different from external bleaching as it is performed after a root canal treatment in Hong Kong for the tooth.
Using X-Rays in Root Canal Treatments
X-rays are an essential part of root canal treatment in HK, and aids us to visualise the anatomical structure of your tooth. Using x-rays during root canal in Hong Kong ensures that we are able to diagnose the disease properly, visualise all the canals and their sizes for successful root canal treatment. We use x-rays to check our progress throughout root canal treatment in Hong Kong as well, therefore more than 2 or 3 x-rays may be taken at each appointment.
During root canal treatments, there are a few x-ray options that are used by our specialist to check the quality of bone and root canal system, for example:
- Bitewing x-rays are used during root canal in HK mainly to check the crowns of your top and bottom teeth on one side, as well as the opening of the root canal systems.
- Periapical x-rays are used during root canal in Hong Kong to check the entire length of one or two teeth. This is the best option for checking the root canal treatment condition and progress.
- Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) x-rays are used during root canal in Hong Kong when the other two options above are not enough to provide sufficient information on the patient’s root canal system. This may be due to accessory canals or very small pulp openings that cannot be detected in the mouth. By using a CBCT image, we can track the missed canals by a 3D image and treat each canal accordingly and precisely during root canal treatment in HK.
If you have any more questions about the use of x-rays for root canal in Hong Kong, please feel free to ask about them when you visit us. The risks of not having an x-ray taken when you have an infected tooth that needs a root canal in Hong Kong is far greater than the small amounts of radiation. Additionally, no unnecessary x-rays for root canal Hong Kong will ever be taken without your consent.
Root Canal Treatment vs. Extraction
One significant reason why Dr. Tong would recommend root canal treatment over extraction is because nothing can really replace your own tooth. The fact is, your own natural teeth are much more efficient in chewing and biting than any sort of artificial tooth. In saying that, there are some root canal Hong Kong cases in which extraction would be the best option for you.
Here are some cases where the tooth is unsalvageable, or if there is significant bone loss surrounding the tooth, would lead to an extraction rather than root canal treatment:
Case 1:
This patient came in with a badly infected tooth which was caused by caries. She wanted to have the tooth fixed no matter what and did not want to lose the tooth. Dr. Tong recommended root canal treatment, and explained the process of the root canal HK procedure to her. In the end, the root canal treatment was completed in 3 appointments.
Case 2:
Here in this case, this tooth had previous root canal treatment that was completed roughly 4-5 years ago overseas, and the patient came in to see Dr. Tong for the first time reporting pain from the tooth. After seeking a second opinion from Dr Tong, the patient opted to try and save the tooth by redoing the root canal treatment in Hong Kong. After the root canal in HK was redone, the patient was able to salvage the original crown without needing replacement.
Case 3:
This was a very unfortunate case whereby the tooth was deemed unsalvageable. Based on the reported symptoms and imaging results from the initial root canal HK procedure, Dr. Tong decided that it was best to remove the tooth. It was determined it could not be saved with a root canal in HK, and required a tooth extraction due to the large crack which extended below the gum line and towards the root of the tooth.
Reviews from Our Root Canal HK Patients
Learn More About Root Canal Hong Kong Procedures - FAQs:
1. What happens during root canal treatment?
As the first step in a root canal in HK, we will first take an examination to determine the origin of the toothache/infection. An x-ray of the tooth in question and the area around it to assess the suitability for a root canal treatment.
After assessing, the tooth will be numbed with a local anaesthetic followed by placing a rubber dam over the tooth to keep the area uncontaminated. The top of the tooth will be drilled through to remove the pulp and the canals within the tooth will be disinfected and cleaned.
A medicament or antibiotic paste is placed in the root canals to allow it to disinfect and kill off any bacteria in the root system. The medication may need to be replaced with a new one and allow for teeth to settle.
The last step to root canal in Hong Kong, is to seal the canal with a sterile material called a gutta percha. A crown or filling is usually done afterwards to protect the tooth and seal it from future bacterial ingress.
2. Is local anaesthetic used during root canal treatment in HK?
3. What are the signs that I may need a root canal treatment?
4. How long does root canal treatment typically last?
5. Why does my tooth need root canal treatment in Hong Kong?
You may need root canal treatment in Hong Kong when a tooth’s pulp becomes inflamed and infected, you may experience pain and discomfort when eating cold or hot food/drinks, throbbing ache, swelling and tenderness around the infected tooth or area. Sometimes, you may not have any symptoms at all even though the tooth’s pulp is infected. Such pulp infections could be due to a variety of factors, most commonly decay, trauma, cracks in the tooth, and previous large extensive procedures.
To help relieve your pain and remove the tooth-origin related infection, root canal treatment in Hong Kong aims to remove bacteria and infected tissue debris at the tip of the root, to allow the infection to heal, which in turn, would improve and resolve the tooth’s symptoms.
Root canal treatment in Hong Kong usually requires multiple visits to adequately clean out the canals, placing medication within the canals, monitor the healing in response to root canal treatment, and fill the root canals of HK patients with rubber-like root canal filling material. These visits are often spaced apart to allow your body and tooth to recover from the infection.
In cases where the infection is not of tooth-related origin, root canal treatment in HK may not be suitable for the tooth to resolve the infection or swelling. Our specialist will assess the tooth and surrounding structures during your root canal HK consultation to provide the appropriate diagnosis and treatment options for your tooth. Sometimes we may refer you to see a root canal treatment specialist (Endodontist) for more complex cases.
6. How to look after teeth that have had root canal in Hong Kong? And what can I do to protect my tooth after root canal treatment?
Following each stage of root canal treatment in HK, mild to moderate discomfort is often normal and expected, particularly to chewing pressure. This can usually be managed adequately with pain relief such as Paracetamol and/or Ibuprofen. Our specialists and staff will advise you accordingly following your root canal treatment in HK.
After completion of root canal in Hong Kong, we recommend that you continue to practice good oral hygiene habits such as toothbrushing and interdental cleaning using floss or brushes. It is encouraged that you take care of your treated tooth just like you would for a normal healthy tooth, after root canal treatment in Hong Kong
A suitable permanent restoration will be planned as part of the holistic care of the tooth following completion of root canal treatment in Hong Kong. The final restoration is usually a cap/crown and the material of choice used is strong, which helps to protect the tooth, decrease risk of tooth fracture and restore it to full function.
In rare cases, successful root canal treated teeth in Hong Kong can become symptomatic again that may require new treatment. For instance, if plaque accumulates and is not removed adequately nor regularly, new decay can occur and expose the root canal treatment filling material to harmful bacteria which can re-infect the root canal system.
Another common possibility is that the tooth that completed the root canal in Hong Kong has a fracture or loose filling/crown, which led to new infection progressing into the tooth. In certain cases, root canal retreatment is a viable option to try to save the tooth. Please speak to us and we can thoroughly assess the tooth for suitability of root canal in Hong Kong.