ROOT CANAL TREATMENT

WHAT IS ROOT CANAL TREATMENT ?

Root canal treatment is a dental procedure done to save a tooth which is infected due to the decay process that started some time back.

Here the pulp which is the centre most portion of the tooth housing the nerves and vessels that are infected are removed followed by cleaning and shaping of the inside of the tooth and finally, the root canal that is inside of the tooth is sealed with certain materials.

WHY ROOT CANAL TREATMENT ?

The main idea behind the root canal treatment is to remove the living tissue, that is, the pulp so as to stop the infectious process, and relieving the patient of his pain.

Tooth pain is considered to be one of the most painful of all type and this treatment serves as a lifesaver for sure!

Step by Step Root Canal Treatment

WHAT MAKES A TOOTH SUSCEPTIBLE TO UNDERGO ROOT CANAL TREATMENT ?

• Repeated dental procedures on the same tooth,
• Improper dental fillings,
• Deep decay not looked after,
• Heat generated due to dental instruments during procedure, etc.

WHEN TO THINK OF GETTING A ROOT CANAL TREATMENT DONE ?

• Excessive pain to a degree where in you are not able to eat or drink anything and the pain persists most of the time.
• Prolonged sensitivity.
• Abscess Formation seen in the form of a gum boil/gum swelling.
• Generalised swelling in the region of the tooth.
• Discolouration, where the tooth may appear either grey or greyish pink in colour.

DISCOLOURATION OF TEETH

ABSCESSED TEETH LEAD TO RCT

BASIC PROCEDURE OF ROOT CANAL TREATMENT : WHAT TO EXPECT ?

• STEP NO.1 : TOOTH IMAGING

X-ray of the involved tooth is taken by your dentist to assess the inside of the tooth structure.

X - RAY IMAGING

• STEP NO.2 : LOCAL ANAESTHESIA FOLLOWED BY PLACEMENT OF RUBBER DAM

Local anaesthesia is administered syringe after you are comfortably seated in your chair, through a syringe, in case - your tooth is vital(living) and you are having pain.

If your tooth which is supposed to be operated is already non vital then probably there is no need for local anaesthesia.

Rubber dam isolates that particular tooth from others and helps in easy operation.

ISOLATION BY RUBBER DAM

• STEP NO.3 : ACCESS OPENING

Access is gained into the inside of tooth structure by drilling a hole through the tooth, using the dental instruments to remove all the infected pulp which contains the damaged nerves and blood vessels.

ROOT CANAL ORIFICE LOCATIONS

ACCESS CAVITY

• STEP NO.4 : SHAPING AND CLEANING

Dentist's after removing all the infected material properly, clean the inside of the tooth using certain materials and finally shape the inside properly using certain dental instruments called, files and reamers to achieve a good shape. This helps in producing the material that is needed to be put inside the tooth in the final sitting.

CLEANING AND SHAPING BY CLEANING FILE

• STEP NO.5 : OBTURATION

There are certain materials called the obturating materials which are used as filling inside the tooth after shaping and cleaning is completed. This is done using instruments called as pluggers. This obturation seals the tooth from further bacterial attack and hence protects the tooth till the treatment is completed.

OBTURATION

• STEP NO.6 : TEMPORARY CROWN/CAP

To bond it with the tooth structure as a temporary cement to protect it while the final porcelain crown is being created.

TEMPORARY CROWN

• STEP NO. 7 : PERMANENT CROWN PLACEMENT

After taking impressions of the tooth which has to be treated the measurement is sent to the dental lab. Here, according to the measurements a crown/cap is made,which is sent back to the dentist. The dentist then cements this on the root canal treated teeth.

CROWN PLACEMENT ON TREATED TOOTH

REMEMBER : A lot of people do not understand the use of a crown/cap, but it is very important to get one because the root canal treated tooth becomes brittle and weak, and can fracture easily while eating food. So the crown tooth helps in preventing this.

AFTER ROOT CANAL :

Sometimes, patient's complain of sensitivity. This is usually temporary and can be controlled with certain medications and desensitizing agents.

No other problems or complaints are usually registered. However, for first few days avoid eating from the side where the root canal was done just to be on the safer side.

WHAT IF ROOT CANAL TREATMENT IS NOT DONE :

Technically, after your dental appointment - if your dentist suggests you to get an RCT done then, you should. If avoided, it can increase the infection further and can finally turn into an abscess, followed by an increase in tooth loosening and ultimately, the tooth will fall off. You obviously don’t want to end up in such a situation! :(

HOW TO PREVENT ROOT CANAL TREATMENT :

This has already been discussed in the blog on dental cavity posted last week.

You can follow that on http://dentalhubonline.blogspot.com/2018/09/what-is-it-dental-cavity-means-hole-or.html

COMPLICATIONS OF A ROOT CANAL TREATMENT (most common) :

• Fracture of the tooth structure,

FRACTURED TOOTH

• Continued pain and sensitivity.

CONTINUED PAIN AND SENSITIVITY

However these don’t occur frequently and are quite rare. There is no need to panic even if you land in any of these situations, since these can be corrected. Just be patient :)

ARE THERE ANY ALTERNATIVE TREATMENTS TO ROOT CANAL TREATMENT ?

Yes there is, and it has just one alternative to it. It is to just simply get your tooth removed/extracted, which is followed by, replacement by crown and bridge work.

But I don’t think that anyone of you would be fond of that!

Also, there is nothing better than your own natural tooth.

TOOTH EXTRACTION

WHAT IS THE SUCCESS RATE OF A ROOT CANAL TREATMENT ?

It is good, so relax. It is over 95%. :)

That’s all for today’s blog. I hope you understood it.

Till then, happy reading.