How many roots do molars have? Teeth, root canals, topography, access, how many canals in a tooth

It is possible to determine exactly how many canals in a tooth only with the help of x-ray. Of course, their number depends on the location. For example, the teeth at the back of the jaw bear the greatest chewing load. Therefore, they require a stronger holding system. They themselves are much larger than other teeth, have more roots and channels. However, this indicator is not constant. It does not mean that the upper and lower incisors will have only one canal. In this matter everything depends on individual characteristics human jaw system. The dentist must determine how many canals in a tooth require filling when opening the tooth or using an x-ray.

How is a tooth structured?

If you don’t delve too deeply into this issue, it may seem quite simple. The so-called crown is located above the gum, and below it are the roots. Their number depends on the degree of pressure on the tooth. The larger it is, the more powerful it is. Therefore, it is not difficult to understand how many canals there are in a tooth with a high potential for chewing load. Their number is much greater than that of representatives of the “biting off” group.

The root itself is covered with enamel, and underneath is dentin. The hole where the base of the alveoli is located. There is a tiny distance between them, represented by connective tissue, - periodontium. Here are located nerve bundles And blood vessels.

Each tooth has a cavity inside it. It contains the pulp - a collection of nerves and blood vessels. They are responsible for the continuous nutrition of bone formations. If it is removed, the tooth will become dead. Towards the roots the cavity narrows slightly. This is the dental canal. It stretches from the top of the root to its very base.

Percentage

As already noted, each person’s body is individual. Therefore, there are no clear rules for determining how many canals a healthy individual should have in a tooth. Information on this issue in dentistry is given not in numerical terms, but in percentage terms.

Number of canals in a tooth of different jaws

Doctors initially start from the fact that the same teeth on both jaws are significantly different. The first three upper incisors usually have one canal each. The situation with these teeth is somewhat different. It can be represented in the following percentage:

  • The first incisor usually has one canal (70% of cases). Only every third patient has 2 of them.
  • The second tooth may have one or two canals in an equal percentage (56% to 44%).
  • On lower jaw third incisor required special attention. Almost always it has a single channel, and only in 6% of cases there are two.

Premolars are characterized by more large building, more goes on them heavy load. It can be assumed that the number of channels in them is also increasing. However, everything is not so simple here.

How many canals are there in tooth 4? This number usually denotes the first premolar. On upper jaw only 9% of teeth have a single canal. In 6% of cases their number can increase to three. The rest are usually found with two branches. The next premolar is the 5th tooth. How many channels does it have? This tooth experiences even more pressure. However, this does not affect the number of channels. Only in 1% their number is three.

On the lower jaw the situation is different. The first and second premolars are not three-channel at all. In 74% of cases, the four and 89% of the five have only one branch.

Molars are considered larger teeth. Therefore, the number of channels they have is rightfully increasing. Sixes on the upper jaw can have either three or all four branches. The probability in this case is approximately the same. It is extremely rare that the picture changes in the lower jaw. Usually there are as many canals in the upper teeth as there are in the lower ones.

Posterior molars are characterized by the following percentage:

  • Top seven: 30% to 70% four and three channels respectively.
  • Bottom seven: 77% to 13% three and two branches.

The posterior molars are not very different in structure. Therefore, any dentist can almost 100% correctly say how many canals are in the 7th tooth of a particular person.

Let's talk about wisdom teeth

A wisdom tooth is a very unique phenomenon that does not fall under statistical data. The upper one can have from one to five channels, and the lower one has three. Often during treatment, additional branches are discovered at autopsy. Therefore, it is very difficult to say exactly how many canals are in the lower wisdom teeth.

They also differ in their irregular shape. It is rare to find a straight channel without a narrow passage. This feature significantly complicates the treatment process.

Misconception

A tooth, as you know, consists of roots and a subcoronal part. There is often a misconception that there are as many roots as there are channels. This is not true at all. The branches quite often diverge and even bifurcate near the pulp. Moreover, several channels can run simultaneously in one root, almost parallel to each other.

Considering the listed features of the structure of teeth, dentists need to be very careful in the treatment procedure. If the doctor misses one of the channels, the therapy will have to be repeated after some time.

Root canal treatment

Development modern dentistry Increasingly, it makes it possible to save those teeth that literally 10 years ago needed to be removed due to the impossibility of treatment. Root canal therapy is a fairly complex procedure. The branches are located next to the pulp. It is represented by many blood vessels and nerve bundles. Any wrong decision by the dentist can lead to the death of the tooth. Today, root canal treatment is dealt with in a separate branch of dentistry - endodontics.

The most common form of pathology, in which the patient is forced to seek help from specialists in this field, is the inflammatory process. Absence timely treatment may result in damage to the soft tissues inside the canal. Most often to pathological process cause various ailments such as caries. However, appropriate treatment may also be necessary for periodontitis.

Measures to prevent dental diseases

To avoid any pathologies associated with teeth, it is necessary to monitor hygiene oral cavity.

  1. Dentists do not recommend brushing immediately after eating. It's better to wait 20-30 minutes.
  2. To avoid the accumulation of pathogenic microbes, you need to use special rinses. If it is not possible to purchase a ready-made product, you can make it at home. A regular one will do for this. chamomile tea or a decoction of oak bark.
  3. You should brush your teeth no more than 2 times a day, since the enamel tends to gradually thin out.

Conclusion

Now you know the structural features of teeth and can imagine the procedure for their treatment. If someone suddenly asks how many canals are in the 6th tooth, such a question will not confuse you. The information presented in today's article is useful for everyone.

Teeth, regardless of location, name, purpose, have the same structure: they consist of a crown, neck and root. There are canals inside the roots, which the doctor fills in case of pulpitis or periodontitis. Read the article: how many canals are in teeth - location table and useful information.

What are channels?

Each tooth has a certain number of roots located under the gum.

How many roots do teeth have? The answer to this question depends on several factors - the position of the unit, the person’s age, heredity, even race. It is known that Mongoloids have more roots than Caucasians.

The standard quantity is as follows:

  • Incisors, canines – 1.
  • – 1-3.
  • Upper molars – 3-4.
  • Lower molars – 2.
  • Third molars – 3-5.

Inside the crown is the pulp, a tissue consisting of blood vessels and nerve endings. They pass into the pulp through the apical foramen, located at the apex of the root, and through canals, narrow cavities inside the root. Their number is not always equal to the number of roots.

The photo shows the beginning of the root canals.

How many canals are there in a tooth?

The configurations of cavities in the roots vary. There are several varieties of them. A tooth root may have two apical foramina, branches inside converging to one foramen, or two internal cavities, running in parallel. Percentage possible combinations indicated in the table.

In the treatment of pulpitis root canals cleaned and sealed.

Knowing the structure and location of the canals is important for the treatment of pulpitis. When the pulp is inflamed, the root cavities must be cleaned, so before starting treatment, the doctor must have a clear idea of ​​how many there are and what they look like. This information can only be obtained using an x-ray.

The structural features of the canals cause treatment difficulties. A number of problems often arise:

  • the cavity is impassable for instruments (curved, branched);
  • microorganisms that are particularly resistant to the action of standard antiseptics accumulate in the intraroot spaces;
  • bacteria tend to re-enter through the dentinal tubules;

To overcome these problems, dentists use modern equipment and materials - endodontic motors designed for mechanical processing, fillings with strong antiseptics.

Root canal treatment

– one of the main conditions successful treatment pulpitis and periodontitis. The stages of a doctor’s work are as follows:


Standards of service dental care do not allow simultaneous filling of canals and tooth cavity. The crown should be restored at the next visit.

What do you know about your teeth? Most answers will be limited to what is on the “surface”: a description of the state of their health, the characteristics of the shade of the enamel and its sensitivity. But about " inner world» your teeth without diagnostic procedures Even a dentist with extensive experience cannot tell you with 100% accuracy. Many people find out how many roots their teeth have only when they are removed. It’s the same with canals: the fact that there are canals in the roots, how they are located and how many there are, most often becomes known only during the treatment process. We will tell you a lot of interesting things about the roots and canals of teeth.

How is a tooth structured?

A tooth consists of a crown, root and neck.

If you don’t delve into the question, the structure of teeth seems quite simple: above the gum there is a crown covered with enamel, and under the gum there are roots. Each tooth has a certain number of “roots”. This depends on the degree of load on him: the greater it is, the more powerful his holding system will be. Obviously, chewing molars will have more roots and tooth canals than representatives of the biting group.

Let's go a little deeper: the “root” itself is covered with cement, and underneath there is dentin. The hole in which the root is located is called the alveolus. Between them there is a small space with connective tissue -. Here are located nerve fibers and blood vessels that nourish dental tissues.

Every tooth has a cavity inside it. In it, under a reliable “shell”, there is a pulp - a bundle of nerves and vessels that provide nutrition to bone formations. The pulp is sometimes called the heart of the tooth - if it has to be removed, it becomes dead. The cavity narrows towards the roots - this is the dental canal. It stretches from the top of the “spine” to its base. At the top of the tooth root there is a hole through which nerves and vessels pass, connecting the pulp with the rest of the tissues of the jaw.

Number of roots in each tooth

Let's find out how many roots teeth have. If you draw a vertical line in the middle of the jaw, dividing it into right and left side, then the first from the line in both directions will be 2 incisors, then the canines, then 2 small molars and 2 large molar, and the most recent ones are the “wise” eights.

Important: the shape of the canals may be irregular, they are narrow and ornate, they are characterized by branching and the formation of pockets. That is why bacteria feel at ease when they get into them, and the filling process causes many difficulties.

Now you know the structural features of teeth and can fully imagine the procedure for removing them, because its complexity directly depends on the number and nature of root growth. Or if you are suddenly asked how many roots the 6th tooth has from below, even such an unexpected question will not confuse you.

All people have chewing organs in their mouths, but few people have thought about how many canals there are in their teeth. Also rare person, except, perhaps, the dentist thinks that each of them is unique, has its own shape and structure. All teeth are subject various classifications, for example, are divided into primary and deciduous and have three components: the crown, neck and root. On top they have a durable fabric called enamel.

It is known that the number of canals in teeth is not equal to the number of their roots. In one incisor there are two or three of them, and sometimes there is one, but which is divided into several.

Every person on earth is the owner of a unique and inimitable root system.

The specific number of channels can be determined by a highly qualified, competent dentist in the clinic using an x-ray.

There are no general and clear rules on the number of canals in human teeth

There are no general and clear rules regarding the canals in human teeth and their number in the field of dentistry. As a rule, information about their number is generated by doctors. An approximate general scheme for the number of channels is as follows:

This is what dentists rely on when treating a diseased tooth, but this is only a general classification; in fact, there may be some deviations from the norm, which the doctor can only determine from an x-ray.

How many roots does each tooth have?

No less interesting is the answer to the question of how many roots a person’s teeth have. The tooth is designed in such a way that its root is located under the gum, below the neck and equals at least 70% of the organ itself. Their number and the number of their roots are also not always the same. Developed by dentists the whole system in order to find out approximately how many roots there can be in the upper 6th tooth, in the lower 6th tooth, in the 4th upper tooth, etc. The number of roots very often depends on many factors, for example, on genetics, belonging to a particular race, and a person’s age. To roughly understand how many roots each human tooth can have, dentists numbered each of them. This can be seen from the diagram below.

The number of roots very often depends on genetics, belonging to a particular race, a person’s age, etc.

It will be quite difficult for a person not knowledgeable in the field of dentistry to decipher it. It presents a general classification of the root system of adult teeth. Teeth numbered one and two are called incisors, number three teeth are called canines, and numbers four and five are called molars. They grow on both jaws. They have one cone-shaped root. Others, numbers six, seven and eight, are called large molars and wisdom teeth, and they grow from above. They are the owners of three roots. Numbers six and seven, located below, most often have two roots, and number eight three or four. Central incisors, located in both the lower and upper jaws, rarely have more than one root. The first premolars are equipped with two bases at the top and one at the bottom. The second premolars have one root both above and below. The first molars have three roots above and at least two below, and the second molars have two or three bases above and two below.

The information presented above speaks about the structure of the root system in adults. Not a word is said about the roots and canals of children's teeth. After all, many people believe that baby teeth have no roots at all, but this is not true. Children's teeth also have roots, ranging from one to three, with which they hold onto the jaw. By the time the tooth is about to fall out, they disappear on their own, which is why one gets the impression that they didn’t exist at all.

Number of roots and channels for eights

The anatomy of the root canals of wisdom teeth is of interest to many due to the fact that they are somewhat different in structure from the rest of the masticatory organs. The number of roots they have can vary from two to five. Their roots are very curved, which causes a lot of inconvenience when treating them in dentistry. The number of their channels can reach up to eight.

Wisdom teeth

When it grows from above, its channels can correspond to the number five, and from below, as a rule, three. These teeth are quite problematic, as they cause discomfort as they grow, they are very difficult to clean due to their inaccessibility and difficult to treat for the same reasons.

Number of nerves in a molar tooth

Many of us have never thought about how many nerves there are in a molar, but this entirely depends on how many roots and canals it has.

Nerves play an important role in their development and growth, make them sensitive, so to speak, breathe life into them.

Total number of human masticatory organs

By the age of twelve, each of us should become the owner of at least twenty-eight teeth. The remaining chewing organs can afford to grow only by the age of 25-30, but it may also happen that they will not exist at all.

This phenomenon is not terrible pathology, this is just a feature of the jaw anatomy of a particular person.

The total number of teeth in a person can reach thirty-two; among our distant ancestors, scientists counted forty-four chewing organs, due to the fact that the jaws at that time performed very hard work while chewing hard food.

Prevention of the development of diseases of the root system of teeth

In order to avoid any dental diseases, it is necessary to take good care of oral hygiene, as this will help preserve your teeth for as long as possible. Factors affecting the masticatory organs:


In addition to the above, it is also recommended to visit a dentist to have professional cleaning and remove tartar. Organize the correct and balanced diet, rich in vitamins and vital micro- and macroelements. Quit smoking and alcohol. It's worth remembering that Toothbrush It should not be too hard, and the paste should not be of the wrong composition.

For any dental problems, even the smallest, contact medical care, so as not to aggravate the situation and contribute to the development of more serious diseases associated with the oral cavity and chewing organs.

First of all, we note that the price for treating pulpitis of a three-canal tooth really depends on the number of these same root canals in it, and here general rule is this: the more there are, the more expensive the treatment procedure usually is. And not only more expensive, but, in addition, with large quantities roots, there are also often a number of nuances in carrying out endodontic procedures, which we will talk about in more detail later.

On a note

is a disease in which inflammation of the so-called dental “nerve” (pulp) occurs. Large molars (molars) most often have three canals, each of which contains a neurovascular bundle. Whenever inflammatory process in the pulp it swells and is compressed, as a result of which a person can feel severe pain.

Pulpitis requires compulsory treatment: you shouldn’t expect that everything will somehow resolve, and the pain will go away on its own, as sometimes happens in the case pain at . The pain may indeed disappear when the “nerve” completely dies, but then it will begin to decompose right inside the tooth, and without appropriate treatment this will not lead to anything good.

Treatment of pulpitis of a three-canal tooth, in contrast to a single-canal one, is often technically more difficult, so in order to carry out high-quality work, the doctor has to spend more effort and time, and also actively apply the achievements of modern dentistry.

Today, in most clinics, three-channel pulpitis is almost always treated by extirpation - from all canals and filling them at the final stage of intracanal treatment.

This is interesting

In the upper wisdom teeth there are the most unpredictable variations in the number and location of roots and canals. As a rule, doctors are faced with one-, two- and three-canal eighth teeth, but there have also been cases of 4 and even 5-root teeth with up to 8 full canals!

The main stages of treatment of three-channel pulpitis

Three-channel pulpitis in the majority dental clinics is treated in two visits. For these purposes, the so-called vital extirpation technique is well suited, when under local anesthesia The pulp is removed from all three canals and they are filled, followed by placing a temporary filling material on the tooth. And on the second visit, the permanent filling is successfully installed.

Let's now see how this happens in practice.

First visit:

  • tooth pain relief;
  • preparation of carious softened tissues with a turbine tip, removal of necrotic and pigmented dentin;
  • washing with antiseptics;
  • opening good access to the mouths of three canals;
  • expansion of mouths;
  • rubber dam application;
  • extirpation (extraction) of pulp from all three canals using pulp extractors;
  • passing the canals with files, measuring their length, expanding with K-files, H-files, machine instruments with constant irrigation (washing) of the canal system with sodium hypochlorite solution;
  • the use of EDTA preparations for poorly traversed canals;
  • drying of canals, control measurement of their lengths;
  • filling the canals using the method of cold lateral condensation of gutta-percha pins with paste or using the Termafil system for obturation;
  • placement of a temporary filling or temporary restoration of a tooth;
  • control image (x-ray).

Second visit:

  • reprocessing of the tooth;
  • placement of a permanent filling made from a light-curing composite or other imported material (an example is shown in the photo below).

Sometimes pulpitis of a three-rooted tooth is treated in three visits or even more. This depends on the chosen technique, the doctor’s tactics, the level of his professional skills and sometimes on the difficulties that arise during intracanal treatment.

If it is impossible to immediately remove the pulp from the canals, the dentist places a devitalizing drug on the opened pulp chamber in order to “kill the nerve” to next appointment. Accordingly, this increases the treatment of three-channel pulpitis by one visit.

IN Soviet time even for single-channel pulpitis they put “arsenic” for a period of 24 hours. This practice is no longer acceptable at the current level of development of dentistry. Treatment of pulpitis of a single-canal tooth, as well as a double-canal one, is almost always carried out in one visit (with rare exceptions).

Large molars (mainly the lower ones), due to the structural features of the jaw and the location of the nerves that determine the sensitivity of the tooth, sometimes may not be “frozen” to such an extent that the nerve can be removed immediately, that is, pain sensitivity remains. Therefore, the way out of this situation is the preliminary use of pulp-killing pastes (popularly they are still called “arsenic”, although modern drugs have not contained arsenic for a long time).

On a note

In a number of clinics, it is always carried out in one visit, regardless of the number of canals: they are filled, and a permanent filling is immediately installed on the tooth. Studies have shown that this practice often leads to long-term negative consequences, since the material introduced into the canals must first harden. In construction, work does not begin until the foundation hardens, as the consequences can be disastrous - and the situation is the same here. That is why it is recommended to treat pulpitis in at least two visits.

The use of a microscope in the treatment of pulpitis

The microscope in endodontics is used, in particular, to diagnose the number of root canals and the quality of their passage. Treatment of pulpitis of a three-rooted tooth under a microscope allows you to quickly find and treat even the most difficult canals, and there are many such cases in dentist practice.

An endodontic microscope allows us to say with almost 100% confidence at the end of the treatment that all canals have been passed and properly sealed. It is he who allows you to control each stage of treatment of pulpitis, preventing. Traditional treatment without the use of a microscope is often associated with the presence of distant negative consequences, for example, due to the fact that the doctor simply did not notice the additional canal in the tooth and missed it during treatment, leaving infected pulp in it.

Sometimes, when treating pulpitis, the doctor finds 3 canals, but in fact there is a “well hidden” 4th (or even fifth) in the tooth. There are cases of missing not just one canal, but several, as there are complex variations in their location in the tooth.

This is interesting

For the treatment of canals, microscopes were first used quite recently - in the USA (1992). A modern endodontic microscope allows you to treat teeth under almost 30 times magnification. During the procedure, the doctor looks through the microscope eyepiece and performs complex manipulations in the canals. A video camera can be connected to the microscope, allowing you to transfer the image to the monitor. At the same time, the doctor is not too close to the patient, since the microscope helps to treat the tooth somewhat remotely, which satisfies those patients who do not like it when their personal space is invaded. This treatment considered one of the most progressive in the world.

The high price for the treatment of pulpitis of a three-canal tooth can scare off patients even with normal income, since it can be two or even three times more than the traditional treatment option (and imagine how things would be with the treatment of pulpitis of a four-canal tooth). However, such increased price is often quite justified taking into account the specifics of complex and lengthy endodontic treatment, so you should not immediately think that they are trying to deceive you and lure you out of money.

What is the price for the treatment of three-channel pulpitis?

First of all, we note a characteristic point regarding the pricing policy of most clinics for the treatment of pulpitis - the cost depends on each canal found in the tooth. The fact is that each channel means additional labor-intensive work for the doctor and additional costs for materials.

For example, a person’s tooth may have three, four or more canals instead of one. Therefore, it is not difficult to guess that the price for the treatment of three-channel or four-channel pulpitis consists primarily of the amount of work performed by the doctor: passage of the canals, their irrigation (washing), expansion, filling...

The cost of pulpitis treatment also includes:

  • Local anesthesia;
  • Additional hardware methods for monitoring and therapy of canals: apex location (length determination), X-ray examination, ultrasound or laser treatment, irrigation, use of a microscope, placement of temporary medicines under a bandage, etc.
  • Permanent filling material. After filling the canal, at the next visit the doctor installs the permanent filling, which is chosen by the patient himself, focusing on a price that is acceptable to him.

Taking into account the above, it becomes quite obvious that regardless of the dental institution to which the patient turns for help, treatment of pulpitis of a single-canal tooth will cost much less than a three-canal one.

This is interesting

One canal is present in 100% of cases in the upper incisors and canines. Moreover, in fangs, the canal is most often very wide and long. In the lower incisors there is predominantly one canal, but two are often found. The lower canine is only two-canal in 6% of cases, and single-canal in the rest. Second premolar (5th upper and lower teeth) in more than 70-80% of cases have one channel.

Different clinics mean different prices for services: what exactly are you paying money for?

Depending on the price-quality indicator for the services provided, all dentistry can be divided into three categories:

  1. Budgetary organizations (clinics, hospitals);
  2. Private economy class clinics;
  3. Private business class clinics.

Advantages budgetary organization:

  • Free treatment or low price for services (as a rule, only the cost of paid materials is taken into account);
  • There is no need to sit in a chair for a long time, the reception is as quick as possible.

As a result of poor-quality treatment of three-channel pulpitis in a budgetary organization, already after a short time The following problems may occur:

  • pain in the tooth due to poorly washed, unfilled canals or due to removal of the filling material beyond the root (it will be painful to bite);
  • swelling of the gums and cheeks due to missed canals (with infection), or a fragment of a dental instrument left in the canal, which is also not uncommon (see photo below);

The mistakes of a budget doctor can be listed endlessly, but it is worth remembering that there are many doctors, even in hospitals and clinics, who are provided with material and have a high level of professional qualities, allowing treatment of at least three- or four-channel pulpitis at a fairly high level, although today this is rather an exception to the rule.

Advantages private clinic economy class:

  • Availability of services for people with average incomes;
  • No long queues;
  • Typically quite high professional level doctor;
  • Availability necessary equipment and materials for the sale of economy class services;
  • Guarantee for root canal treatment and filling.

  • Lack of maximum quality control of treatment at all stages (the risk of complications after canal filling can be described as average);
  • The materials are not good enough for artistic restoration and often do not allow the filling to be completely invisible to others.

A business class private clinic, unlike previous options, allows us to provide very high-quality services due to the availability of modern equipment and highly trained qualified dentists.

The use of a microscope, as an intermediary between the doctor and the patient’s tooth, significantly increases the already considerable price for the treatment of pulpitis of a three-canal tooth. However, thanks to such equipment, the patient can forget for the rest of his life that treatment was once carried out in the canals of his tooth, and he will only occasionally have to come to the dentist to examine the condition of the filling.

There are often situations when a patient, having contacted a local clinic, loses a tooth within a year or two due to tooth decay, and ends up undergoing expensive prosthetics for the missing tooth at a price even higher than the treatment of three-channel pulpitis, but in a business-class clinic.

There are also cases when, for example, 5-7 years after treatment of pulpitis in an economy class clinic (for about 6-7 thousand rubles), it is discovered that against the background of a fragment of an instrument left in the canal, a huge granuloma has developed on the root, due to where it is not possible to save the tooth. In such a situation, it is already difficult to say for the patient what is better for him: to lose a tooth in 5-7 years and deal with expensive prosthetics, or, or immediately go to a business-class clinic, where treatment of pulpitis of a three-channel tooth will cost around 12-14 thousand rubles, but such a tooth will last almost the rest of its life.

Interesting video: treatment of pulpitis of the upper tooth, which turned out to be not three-channel, but 4-channel

And here you can see all the stages of pulpitis treatment, including filling