Apex

The apex is commonly mentioned in endodontics. If you are getting a root canal, then it means that the dentist is working on the canal located in the roots, which finishes with an apical foramen on the apex. As mentioned, all of the nerve, blood and lymph vessels enter the tooth through this foramen. If the dental pulp is affected by inflammation or necrosis, the dentist has to perform a root canal procedure. This means that he has to completely remove all the remaining pulp tissue from the crown and from the root canal or canals depending on the tooth. The first thing he does is to enter the pulp, by forming a cavity. The following step is to remove the pulp in the coronal part. Later, they have to locate the entrance of the canal or canals. Dentists use special instruments to enter the canal and properly remove all the necrotic tissue. They have to exactly know where the apical foramen is located and finish there with the procedure. Sometimes it can be really hard to locate this foramen, so dentists use special techniques, including x-rays, and apex locators that help them in the process. Once they locate it, they clean everything and prepare the canals for filling. They fill them and seal them so that there is no contact with the surrounding periodontal tissue and to avoid another inflammation. There are teeth that finish with two or more foramina, which makes it very hard to achieve a good root canal procedure.