Root canal treatment: the rubber tissue will prevent the saliva or bacteria from getting into the open root canal area.

About 6 million root canal treatments per year are being covered by the insurance companies. This procedure is often the very last hope to save the inflamed tooth. But the operation fails in too many cases. The dental researchers in the Göttingen University in Germany have studied cases of 200 patients, who came to the university clinic after the root canal treatment done elsewhere. The shocking result: in every second case the treatment was done in an unsatisfactory manner. About 90% in all cases the teeth could be saved after the treatment done correctly, point out Michael Hülsmann, professor of dental hygiene and the supervisor of the studies – if the dentists would conduct the therapy with more care, time and special equipment.

The operation is very complicated: in general teeth have between one and four root canals, the hidden offshoots and deviations in all directions are possible. The dentist must clean them all with tiny titan instruments and additionally disinfect the site. Only when the nerve body is completely removed the hollow space can be filled. However the researchers from Göttingen in their evaluation of the numerous facts discovered that dentists normally do not carry out the procedure long enough. Bacteria remain in the root canal and the fillings come too short as required.
Only three steps can increase the success quota. The first is the so called “Kofferdam“. It is special rubber tissue which protects the area around the tooth and as to the data of the European Society for Endontology absolutely indispensable in the root cabal treatment. It prevents bacteria from getting into the area close to the tooth being treated. Until late only 8,2% of all the German dentists used the rubber tissue in all the cases of the root canal treatment.
The second condition is the usage of the dental microscope. Only very few dentists use it – though the nervous system cannot be seen well by the human eye. The microscope helps to distinguish the tiniest details around the operation area and can focus the vision to the important details.

There is lack of specialist for the root canal treatment

Experts also point out that one of the weakest points is the lack of the dentists’ specialization. The world over the success rate of the root canal treatment by the general dentist is much lower than that of a specialist in end ontology. In many countries there is a special name for such a dentist, whereas in Germany this post does not exist at all.
But even here there was recent specialization and the patients have the right to search for such a specialist, because, after all, they pay for it out of their own pockets. Because the success rate is high when being treated by a specialist with special equipment it makes it worth paying several hundred Euros. Because after several bad starts the tooth will have to „go“ – and the patient will pay later much more for the tooth implant or prosthesis.