A root canal is less than a millimetre in diameter. Conventional root canal treatment is therefore anything but straightforward, given the precision required when working with such tiny structures.
A microscope makes a big difference here. How does root canal treatment under a microscope work, and when is it worth considering?
Root canal treatment under a microscope
Microscope-assisted root canal treatment is one of the most advanced dental procedures available today and represents one of the finest methods in modern endodontics.
This approach makes the procedure considerably easier – for example when treating a tooth located deep in the mouth or one with a complex anatomy.
Root canal treatment using an operating microscope allows up to 25× magnification of the tooth being treated, as well as uniform, even illumination of the treatment field.
All of this greatly increases precision and makes it possible to spot any perforations that might otherwise complicate the procedure.
Benefits of microscope-assisted root canal treatment
- teeth in unusual positions or with an unusual shape
- molar teeth, due to their difficult-to-reach location,
- teeth that have suffered trauma,
- teeth with root canals of atypical anatomy (narrow, curved), where magnification helps achieve correct preparation,
- teeth that have been referred for repeat root canal treatment due to an inadequate filling during the first procedure,
- root canal damage (e.g. perforations),
- teeth with root resorption,
- teeth that will serve as an abutment in a prosthetic bridge and require root canal treatment,
- removal of broken tooth fragments,
- removal of a foreign body from the periodontal tissue (e.g. a fractured endodontic instrument).
Root canal treatment under a microscope brings benefits for both patients and the dentists carrying out the procedure.
For problematic teeth, it is well worth considering microscope-assisted root canal treatment rather than making a hasty decision to extract the tooth.
