Root Canal Treatment: Did You Know? A Story We All Need to Understand

1. What Is Root Canal Treatment?

Hello, this is Director Ye Sang-ho of Yonsei Wish Dental Clinic.

What exactly is the root canal treatment that is professionally performed in conservative dentistry, which Director Ye Sang-ho majored in?

Inside a tooth, there is a nerve that can sense hot and cold.

This is why a tooth becomes sensitive to cold and hot food when it is broken and the nerve is exposed, or when tooth decay becomes deep.

Root canal treatment refers to the process of removing and disinfecting the affected nerve.

Strictly speaking, root canal treatment is not a treatment that revives the nerve, but a treatment of the root canal, the space where the nerve is located. Root canal treatment is not easy for either the patient or the dentist.

Many dentists say this.

“Among all procedures, root canal treatment is the most difficult.”

I still remember that when I was a student, 7 or 8 out of 10 senior dentists said this treatment required the most concentration and was the most difficult.

There is a reason for that. The ‘root canal’ inside the tooth root is so narrow and deep that it is hard to even see with the eye, and inside it, within a structure as thin as a hair and as tangled as a spider web, we need to find the infected area, remove it accurately, and then seal the space so it will not be contaminated again.

(The photo shows the nerve structure distributed inside a molar root.)

The core of root canal treatment is to accurately disinfect and carefully treat these complex, branching nerve canals (root canals), right?

2. Why Do We Keep Emphasizing Preservation of Natural Teeth?

These days, many dental clinics introduce implant treatment. At our Yonsei Wish Dental Clinic as well, rather than simple procedures, we prioritize a treatment plan and consultation that truly fit each patient.

An implant is not just something you “place.” For it to be used for a long time, it must include planning and surgery tailored to each patient’s oral condition, as well as the maintenance that follows.

Sometimes, people choose based mainly on cost and later return after experiencing discomfort. For treatment to be maintained well, careful diagnosis from the start, proper material selection, and systematic follow-up care must all be considered together.

Source: Dental News

But nowadays, as implant costs have dropped a lot, sometimes treatment that preserves natural teeth feels more expensive. So even when there is a situation where a natural tooth can be preserved, some people still consider implants from the beginning.

Of course, it’s okay if you do not come to our clinic. But there is one thing I really want to tell you. Before choosing based only on a very low price, please make sure to check the treatment process, the materials used, and post-surgical care. (Really... please, be a little more careful with places that have flashy advertising but lack those important details. T^T)

And please remember this. If a natural tooth can be saved, that is truly a valuable choice.

An implant is only a substitute treatment, and there is nothing better than your real tooth.

That is why we always say, if a tooth can be saved, we first explain that possibility.

3. What You Should Check When Choosing a Clinic for Root Canal Treatment

(This was part of the lecture I heard when I was invited to a conference hosted by Dentsply, a global dental equipment company. The professor who presented also explained the complexity of root canals and comforted us specialists in conservative dentistry (?!) as well.)

“How can I tell whether a clinic is good at root canal treatment?”

More people wonder about this than you might think. Root canal treatment deals with structures inside the tooth root that cannot be seen. That is why how precisely and consistently the treatment is carried out can have a major effect on the outcome.

There are several reasons why it can be difficult to find a clinic that takes this kind of treatment seriously.

First, tooth root canals are very small and complex, so they are difficult to see with the naked eye, and because the structure also differs from person to person, the process of properly disinfecting and sealing them requires highly advanced skill.

Second, and this is something I say carefully but honestly, although root canal treatment requires a lot of time and care, it is not priced particularly high compared with some other procedures.

So depending on the clinic, the amount of time and the method used for treatment can vary, and that is part of the structural reality.

From a patient’s perspective, this is why people may feel, “Why are the number of visits different from clinic to clinic?” or “Why are the explanations so different?”

In the end, what matters is choosing a clinic that explains the treatment process thoroughly and approaches it carefully. Rather than simply ending in one or two visits, I recommend checking whether the clinic makes a plan so that your tooth can recover well.

4. Different Perspectives on Root Canal Treatment I Felt at Dental Conferences

The photos above were taken when I attended the American Association of Endodontists (AAE) meeting held in New Orleans. The entire city where the conference was held felt festive enough to seem buzzing with energy, and the active participation of various companies, as well as the relaxed atmosphere among the endodontic specialists, left a strong impression on me.

This may be a somewhat realistic story, but... Root canal treatment is an important field clinically, and because related industries such as equipment and materials are growing together, conferences naturally become large and the atmosphere feels more relaxed.

In the United States, the cost of root canal treatment for one molar is reportedly $800 to $1,500, and recently there have been cases approaching $2,000. Converted into Korean won, that is roughly 1 million to 2 million won. And this is only the cost of root canal treatment for one molar.

But in Korea... there are many cases where treatment is received for less than one-tenth of that cost. Even though the equipment used and the treatment techniques are not really very different.

So sometimes I find myself thinking this. Within this structure, can root canal treatment really be a procedure that has enough time and care devoted to it? If an atmosphere were created in which the value of treatment could be recognized a little more, wouldn’t that allow both patients and clinicians to make healthier, longer-lasting choices?

Root canal treatment is a procedure that takes a long time and requires multiple visits. But because the fee is not high compared with the effort involved, when treating patients, even if I want to devote more care, I sometimes run into practical limitations. This is always a disappointing part of practice from the clinician’s perspective...

In other countries, root canal treatment is often recognized as a high-difficulty procedure that can save a tooth, and accordingly, fee structures are in place that reflect the time and difficulty involved.

That may reflect an understanding that preserving one tooth for a longer time is an important part of overall health.

Even in that reality, many Korean dentists, if a tooth can be saved, devote time and care to root canal treatment.

If you have ever received such treatment, why not offer a short word of thanks? There are moments when those few words stay in someone’s memory for a long time...

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Finally, these are photos from when I went to the Tokyo Dental Show in Japan.

When I attended the dental conference in Japan, it seemed that interest in treatments other than implants was more evenly distributed.

A representative from a Japanese company who looked at me with curiosity on-site started a conversation. “Whenever I go to Korean dental conferences... why are there so many implant company booths?” I was momentarily unable to find the words to answer that question.

At that moment, I quietly thought to myself. How wonderful it would be if a social atmosphere were created that recognizes the value of each and every tooth a little more. Root canal treatment can be the last chance to save a tooth. If such treatment becomes naturally chosen by more people, and if a structure is created that recognizes its value, wouldn’t more patients be able to receive the care they truly need, more steadily, and under better conditions?

I hope that in Korea as well, the preciousness of a single tooth will one day be accepted a little more naturally. And today, too, we will do our best for each patient, with the mindset of saving that one tooth.