Root Canal Treatment (RCT)
Endodontic Solution
Saves Tooth | Ends Pain
A 'Root Canal' is the space or natural cavity within the center of the tooth. A tooth Root consists of the pulp chamber which contains the pulp & nerves and is used to provide nutrients to each tooth. the 'Root canals' are connected with each other at one end of the tooth.
A dental cavity or infection in the tooth makes an opening from where the bacteria can enter into the tooth and can multiply inside. If left without proper dental treatment, these bacteria will cause infections and form abscesses filled with pus beyond the roots of the tooth into the jaw bone. This can causes swelling & severe pain and could spread to other adjacent areas like the face or head. Abscesses caused by serious bacterial infections can also bring about bone loss around the tip of the roots and in severe cases could even lead to development of a cyst in that area.
What is Root Canal Treatment?
A root canal treatment is the procedure done save a tooth that gets infected or badly decayed. Root canal treatment involves removal of the pulp & nerves from the pulp chamber inside the roots of the tooth, and cleaning the infected area inside the tooth. After the infected pulp is completely removed, it is completely disinfected & filled up with a permanent filling.
Teeth can get damaged due to severe decay, any cracks in the tooth or trauma to the jaw. Constant pain & swelling of the gums or tenderness around the tooth, dis-coloration of the tooth and prolonged sensitivity to hot & cold food items, are signs that the tooth might be infected an would need a root canal treatment.
What are the benefits of getting a Root Canal Treatment?
A Root canal treatment is done to disinfect & save your natural tooth, as well as protecting the infection in your roots to spread out into the jaw bone. During a root canal procedure the natural tooth structure might be a little damaged & your dentist can advice a 'Dental Crown' afterwards. This can increases the life of your infected tooth and also saves you from being tooth less.
(If one experiences any of above mentioned symptoms, It is best to visit your dentist and get the her/his expert advice as soon as possible.)
Why does the Tooth Pulp needs to be removed?
Once the bacteria have infected the tooth pulp present in the roots of the tooth, they start to multiply rapidly. This may lead to formation of abscess in the tooth as well as the jaw bone beyond the tooth. The patient can feel extreme pain because of this. There is no way to treat the pulp of the tooth for infection once it has spread into it. Hence the Dentist needs to remove the pulp completely and disinfect the pulp chamber for any kind of residual infection. In some severe cases of abscess formation, the abscess leads to resorption of jaw bone that is keeping the tooth intact, and hence can damage the stability of the tooth as well the adjoining teeth.
How Painful Is a Root Canal?
Root canal procedure has a false reputation of being painful, but in reality it is not. It is more or less equally discomforting like a tooth filling. A root canal treatment would rather relieve you from the pain caused by the infection.
What Should One Expect After the Root Canal?
For the initial few days following the completion of a root canal treatment, the treated tooth may feel a little sensitive, as a recent procedure is performed on it. Especially, if there was severe infection or pain before the procedure. Most patient with initial stages of infection, feel no pain or discomfort from the very next day of the treatment.
Only a few extreme cases where there is severe infection or abscess formation, can experience pain or discomfort during as well as a few days after the treatment. Your dentist will recommend an antibiotic accompanied with a pain killer to relieve you from this pain to a certain extent.
Until your root canal procedure is finished & the permanent filling or crown is placed, it is advised for you to not chew from the side where the tooth is being treated. This will help damage to the teeth as well as any chances of re-contamination during the treatment.
How successful are Root Canals?
Root canal procedures are highly successful; with more than a 95% success rate. A teeth fixed with a root canal and fitted with a proper dental crown can even last a lifetime. The skills of the operation dentist are a major factor that decides the longevity of the treatment. Our team of Dentist are well trained in all types of root canal cases. But like any other medical procedure, a root canal treatment can fail due to any unwanted circumstances. The chances of this while the procedure is dome is less than 2%. After the procedure is done, it mostly depends of the patients oral hygiene.
Complications of Root Canal Treatment
Despite the dentist's best efforts to treat and disinfect tooth, new infections might emerge after a root canal treatment. The most likely reasons for this include:
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Any unseen / undetected root canal in the tooth. ( certain ancillary canals are sometimes not visible by the eye or microscope or even by x-rays.
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Any undetected crack in any of the roots of a tooth.
- Sometimes there could be infection in adjacent tooth that can reinfect the previously root canal treated tooth,
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If there is is no proper dental crown or onlay placed over the root canal treated tooth, there are chances of a breakdown of the inner sealing material over time. This allows bacteria to recontaminate the inner areas of the root canal treated tooth
Many times re-treatment of the tooth can be successful, else some endodontic surgery could be tried in order to save the tooth. A very common endodontic surgical procedure is an apicoectomy . This procedure involves the cutting off of the apex (the very end of the root towards jaw bone) of the infected tooth. It relieves the inflammation or infection in the bony area around the end of your tooth that continues after root canal treatment.
Root Canal Treatment - Step by Step
At Thaper Dental Clinic, we use the latest rotary endodontic systems to provide the best in class root canal treatment in Jaipur.
Our Dentists also use magnification loupes which make it much more precise to locate the infected area as well as approach the canals for the disinfection.
In most of the cases we are able to complete the process in only one visit, making it more comfortable for the patient.
But if the infection is severe and/or abscess has formed, the treatment duration will be prolonged to clear the infection completely.