Devitalization, which allows you to save the tooth from an inevitable extraction, is performed in three main steps:
- Removal of diseased and infected dental pulp
- Replacement of the dental pulp with a special amalgam (biocompatible material + cement)
- Tooth reconstruction
Although it is almost painless, devitalization continues to terrify the vast majority of patients forced to undergo surgery. Let us therefore try to describe precisely all the steps necessary to devitalize a diseased tooth.The detailed description of the procedure can be useful to relieve tensions and anxieties that - inevitably - occur in the patient before devitalization.
of the diseased tooth.All the phases of the intervention are described by points below:
- Local anesthesia of the tooth
- Positioning of the dam on the tooth to be devitalized. The dam is a small latex handkerchief that, fixed on one tooth, protects the others from any fragments of dentin or slag that could be created during the intervention.
- Drilling of the crown of the tooth (to allow access to the damaged or infected pulp by means of a special instrument, called root canal file)
- Removal of dental pulp and any bacterial residues in the root canal
- Root canal disinfection
- Root canal filling with a sterile and inert material called gutta-percha: it is a natural resin capable of transforming into calcium hydroxide. Gutta-percha is generally mixed with adhesive cement, a further guarantee that ensures complete isolation of the root canal.
- Tooth seal with a "special TEMPORARY filling (useful device to prevent possible entry of bacteria in situ.
From Wikipedia: the various stages of dental devitalization. A) Sick or damaged tooth. B) Trepanation and cleaning. C) Elimination of vessels and nerves up to the apex of the tooth with root canal files (endodontic "files"). D) filling with gutta-percha and covering with prosthetic crown (capsule)
, as well as severe trauma and advanced stage pulpits, can severely compromise the health of the tooth, to the point of irreversibly damaging it. In such circumstances, toothache is relentless, and is punctually accentuated by eating excessively hot or too cold foods, chewing crunchy foods or simply brushing the tooth with the tongue. These painful symptoms push the unfortunate person to request a consultation with the dentist, who, in the presence of irreversible damage, will propose the devitalization of the tooth as a valid alternative to extraction.Devitalization offers numerous advantages:
- Tooth rescue
- Almost painless surgery
- Treatment of the infection
- Removal of pain
Considerations
Today, in most patients, devitalization has a very high percentage of success, and the risk of complications is extremely low. Moreover, unlike some time ago, the improvement of surgical techniques guarantees a painless operation; the pain that it can appear when the anesthesia wears off, it can be easily managed with analgesic drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen or naproxen.
Devitalization is indicated for all types of teeth, including encapsulated ones.
To prevent devitalization - which, although painless, is still an unwelcome intervention - a correct and systemic daily dental hygiene at home is necessary, supported by professional dental hygiene interventions ("teeth cleaning" or scaling) every 6-12 months .
