Hemisection

What is a hemisection?

A hemisection is the division of a multi-rooted tooth, i.e. a multi-rooted premolar or molar. This usually happens in the area of ​​the roots, but the section can also refer to the crown portion of the tooth. Depending on the initial situation, this serves to provide the necessary support for the existing dentures.

Reasons for a hemisection

As a rule, already existing prosthetic restorations should be preserved through this step and other far more complex measures, such as the placement of implants (artificial tooth roots), should be avoided. The hemisection is usually triggered by infected or destroyed root parts of the affected tooth. Measured against the complete extraction (removal) of the tooth, the hemisection is also to be assessed as the more minimally invasive (less invasive) measure.

Find out everything about the full Extraction of a tooth.

Course of a hemisection

A hemisection is always preceded by ordinary root canal treatment. After the usual preparations before an operation (examination, X-ray, written declaration of consent), the patient is given a conduction anesthesia. With conduction anesthesia, the main trunk of the nerve is numbed where it disappears into the bone. This is done with a syringe that is placed in the gum. If this process is unbearable for the patient due to chronic fear of spikes, the corresponding gum area can also be moistened beforehand using a numbing spray. The patient then only feels pressure.
Then, as soon as the affected area is sufficiently numbed, the tooth is cut straight in the middle between the roots. Here there is the option of leaving the healthy part of the tooth. The diseased half of the tooth, including the root, can now be extracted (pulled).
A crown, for example, can now be placed on the remaining partial tooth. It was previously subjected to a root canal treatment, so that it now only serves as a kind of pillar or pillar for the corresponding prosthetics.