- endodontics
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—endodontic, adj./en'doh don"tiks/, n. (used with a sing. v.)the branch of dentistry dealing with the cause, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases of the dental pulp, usually by removal of the nerve and other tissue of the pulp cavity and its replacement with suitable filling material; pulp canal therapy; root canal therapy.
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in dentistry, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases of the dental pulp and the surrounding tissues. (The dental pulp is soft tissue in the centre of the tooth; it contains the nerve, blood and lymphatic vessels, and connective tissue.)The practice of endodontics is concerned primarily with the removal of diseased dental pulp and its replacement with filling material, an operation known as root canal therapy. After the pulp is removed, the tooth continues to be nourished by connecting blood vessels in the jaw. The tooth is then considered to be dead, although the fibres that hold the teeth in the jawbone are alive.Operations on the pulp are performed with the aid of local anesthesia. Preservation of the natural tooth in this manner serves both appearance and utility; a natural tooth implanted in the jaw maintains the integrity of the dental arch and can withstand about 10 times more pressure than can artificial teeth.* * *
Universalium. 2010.