What is Regenerative Endodontics?
The goal of regenerative endodontics is to treat a tooth with diseased pulp without removing the pulp. A root canal procedure removes the inflamed pulp from your tooth, disinfects the tooth, and seals it.
Regenerative endodontics opens the tooth, flushes it with a disinfectant, inserts antibiotics and materials that encourage healing, and closes the tooth with a temporary filling. Between one and four weeks after the first appointment, there’s a second appointment that continues the treatment.
During this appointment, we remove the temporary filling, clean the interior of your tooth, and induce bleeding inside of the tooth. This bleeding produces a blood clot that helps encourage new tissue growth. We then seal the tooth. It's normal for a tooth treated with regenerative endodontics to feel sore and tender for a few days. The tooth doesn’t require any special treatment.
Regenerative endodontics procedures are mostly used in children who have permanent teeth that are still developing. This natural development works to our advantage to stimulate the growth of new pulp and heal the remaining pulp. While adults can undergo regenerative endodontic treatments, the procedure is less likely to be effective.
What are the benefits of Regenerative Endodontics?
Regenerative endodontics has multiple benefits that encourage optimal oral and dental health.
The tooth keeps its pulp
Regenerative endodontics treats diseased pulp so that it can remain in the tooth. If the pulp is lost, the treatment encourages new pulp to grow. This helps the tooth remain strong and healthy for years. When a root canal removes a tooth’s pulp, one of the potential side effects is discoloration. The loss of pulp can deprive the tooth of nutrients, and contaminants may enter the tooth during the procedure. Both of these factors can cause the tooth’s structure and color to change.
The procedure can help patients keep their teeth
One issue with performing root canals in children is that permanent teeth that aren’t fully developed have short roots. A root canal removes the pulp inside of the tooth; the pulp contains nerves, blood vessels, and tissues that supply the tooth with nutrients and vitamins that help it develop and grow healthy, strong roots. If a tooth’s roots don’t have the nutrients they need for proper development, there’s a higher likelihood that the tooth will eventually require extraction. Regenerative endodontics gives a diseased tooth a better chance of developing properly.
Regenerative endodontics has a high likelihood of success
Though regenerative endodontics is continuously developing, the procedure is proving to be an effective treatment that helps patients keep their teeth so that they can properly mature and develop.
Have more questions about regenerative endodontics? Contact us today.
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