endodontic

Endodontic refers to endodontics, a dental specialty focused on the dental pulp and surrounding periradicular tissues. Endodontics aims to diagnose and treat pathology and injuries involving the tooth’s interior tissues, with the goal of preserving natural teeth and preventing further infection.

Common procedures in endodontics include nonsurgical root canal therapy, where infected or inflamed pulp is removed, the root canals are cleaned, shaped, disinfected, and obturated to seal the canal system. Pulpal therapies for primary teeth, such as pulpotomy or pulpectomy, seek to maintain tooth vitality or remove infected tissue when possible. Retreatment may be performed on a tooth with persistent or new infection. Surgical endodontics, including apicoectomy and periapical surgery, addresses disease at the root tip when nonsurgical treatment is insufficient. Vital pulp therapy, including indirect or direct pulp capping, aims to preserve pulp vitality in immature teeth after traumatic exposure or caries. Endodontics also covers management of dental trauma and complex canal anatomy.

Diagnosis and planning rely on clinical tests of pulp sensibility, radiographs, and sometimes cone-beam computed tomography. Treatments employ rubber-dam isolation, nickel-titanium instruments, irrigation with disinfectants such as sodium hypochlorite, chelating agents, and obturation materials like gutta-percha with sealers. Modern endodontics emphasizes aseptic technique, magnification, and advanced imaging to improve accuracy and outcomes. The prognosis depends on factors such as preexisting infection, canal anatomy, restoration quality, and access for cleaning and sealing. Endodontic care offers an alternative to extraction and implants when feasible and appropriate.