Does periodontitis require root canal treatment?

Written by Li Bao Hua
Dentistry
Updated on September 08, 2024
00:00
00:00

Periodontitis is an inflammation of the tooth-supporting tissues caused by the lack of timely brushing and rinsing after eating, where food residues or soft plaque become calculus under the calcification of saliva. This condition requires tooth cleaning, which is a procedure performed around the teeth, and does not require root canal treatment. If periodontitis progresses further and bacteria from the periodontal pocket reach the root tip, it can cause inflammation around the tooth including the root tip. This may lead to a pathological condition of the dental nerve. If the root tip inflammation is caused by the retrograde action of periodontitis, root canal treatment is necessary because it affects the dental nerve. If there is no concurrent inflammation of the dental nerve, direct periodontal treatment can be performed. However, if retrograde root tip inflammation has occurred, then root canal treatment of the tooth is required.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Bao Hua
Dentistry
59sec home-news-image

How is periodontitis treated?

Periodontitis is an inflammation of the periodontal supporting tissue, often caused by not brushing or rinsing promptly after eating. Food residue accumulates around the gums, which over time can cause bleeding gums or bleeding during brushing. Severe cases may further develop into periodontal pockets, where dental calculus appears, potentially leading to loose teeth, tooth loss, or even absorption of the alveolar bone. Therefore, the basic treatment for periodontitis involves controlling plaque and eliminating inflammation. This can be achieved through ultrasonic cleaning, which is essentially teeth cleaning to remove dental calculus, followed by rinsing and medicating around the gums to improve their condition. In severe cases, periodontal scaling may be necessary. Thus, treatment of periodontitis is divided into basic treatment and maintenance treatment, with maintenance following the basic treatment phase.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Bao Hua
Dentistry
45sec home-news-image

Can periodontitis be cured?

Periodontitis is a serious condition that develops if gingivitis is not treated promptly. Mild periodontitis can be cured. If periodontitis is detected early, it can be controlled by dental cleaning, removing dental plaque, food residues, tartar, or soft deposits around the teeth, and then rinsing and medicating the gum tissue. If periodontitis further progresses to cause partial absorption of the alveolar bone, this stage can also be treated by guided bone regeneration to cure periodontitis. If severe, with extensive absorption of the alveolar bone and significant loosening of the teeth, it is very difficult to cure.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Bao Hua
Dentistry
47sec home-news-image

Can you get your teeth cleaned during periodontitis?

Periodontitis is an inflammation of the supporting tissues around the teeth, commonly seen as gingivitis or periodontitis. In the early stages of gingivitis or periodontitis, dental calculus and soft plaque accumulate on the surface of the teeth, irritating the gum tissue and causing the gums to become red, suppurate, or even bleed. This condition requires prompt dental cleaning. Through ultrasonic oscillation, the dental calculus attached around the teeth is removed. If there is subgingival calculus, dental cleaning alone may not completely remove it, and subgingival scaling is also necessary, using specialized tools to manually remove the subgingival calculus.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Wang Peng
Dentistry
45sec home-news-image

What should I do if my face swells from periodontitis?

If periodontitis has already caused facial swelling, active treatment can be targeted at the periodontitis. First, if there are large deposits of tartar on the crown of the tooth, these should be removed using ultrasonic cleaning to eliminate the tartar and suppress the proliferation of anaerobic bacteria. Then, manually scrape the tartar, diseased bone, and granulation tissue attached to the root surface of the gums and thoroughly rinse with hydrogen peroxide solution. If an abscess has already formed in the periodontal area, it needs to be incised under local anesthesia, then drain it using a rubber strip, and treat with systemic antibiotics such as cephalosporins or nitroimidazole drugs to alleviate the patient’s condition.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Bao Hua
Dentistry
51sec home-news-image

What is periodontitis?

Periodontitis is an inflammation of the periodontal supporting tissues, including the gums, periodontal membrane, alveolar bone, and cementum. The early stages of periodontitis are mainly caused by irritants such as tartar, plaque, and soft deposits around the teeth, leading to swollen, pus-leaking gums, or bleeding during eating and brushing. If not treated promptly, tartar will adhere above and below the gums, forming supragingival and subgingival calculus. For calculus above the gums, ultrasonic cleaning, also known as dental scaling, is required. For calculus below the gums, it can be removed through curettage. If the mobility of the teeth improves after removal, the periodontitis can then enter the maintenance phase for the teeth.