When you are told that you need a root canal therapy to save your natural tooth , these questions rushes into your mind.
Is it worth to do this treatment or should I go for extraction?
Is it painful?
Is there any post operative complications?
Here we will deal with all your queries.
What is root canal? And why do I need a root canal therapy?
Our tooth has 2 parts –crown and root.
The structure which is present above the gum line is known as CROWN and the hidden part is known as ROOT. On the outside our teeth has an enamel layer, to the middle dentin and core part is occupied by pulp tissue which consists of blood vessels, connective tissue and nerves.
When the decay reaches into the pulp , we say that the tooth is infected or inflamed and at times pulp tissue may die out of infection. All these scenarios drive us straight into Root Canal Therapy.
Root canal treatment removes the pulp or infected tissue from inside of the tooth followed by thorough disinfection and filling to seal the vacant space.
How would I know whether I need a root canal therapy?
Root canal treatment is indicated when the decay reaches to the core of the tooth namely pulp tissue. This is followed by excruciating pain and at times this can keep you awake throughout the day and night.
Symptoms are
How is it done?
Radiographs are taken to assess the condition of the tooth and to determine the extend of involvement of infection.
This is followed by local anesthesia to numb the tooth so as to ensure a complete painless environment.
Once it has taken effect, the decayed part is slowly removed until it reaches the pulp structure. This is followed by removal of pulp tissue using special tools called files. As the procedure is being done, inside of the tooth is cleaned and disinfected with saline and sodium hypochlorite to remove debris.
After the tooth is completely cleaned and disinfected, the vacant space is filled tight with gutta percha and sealer material.
Next a filling is placed to cover the tooth and this finishes the whole procedure of root canal therapy.
Can I get my root canal therapy done in 1 day? Single sitting root canal treatment
Single sitting root canals can be performed in Non Vital teeth with no acute symptoms, Near Pulpal Carious exposure requiring RCT Prophylactically and When there is an acute infection with no pus accumulation in & around the tooth.
Advantages of single sitting root canal treatment
Multiple sitting root canal treatment
Symptomatic non vital teeth, tooth with abscess and pus discharge, patients who cannot sit opening mouth for long time (TMJ disorders), teeth with anatomic anomalies may require multiple sitting root canal treatment.
This is also performed in same sequence of events and the only difference is the number of patient visit which may vary from 2 to 3 visits.
Rotary Endodontics : A new effective root canal treatment
While conventional root canal treatment uses files to clean the canal, rotary endodontics use electrically powered instruments (rotary instruments) to complete the procedure thereby ensuring a better root canal filling in shorter duration of time. Moreover the procedure is much comfortable and mostly accepted by the patients.
Advantages of Rotary Endodontics
Is root canal Treatment Painful ?
Mild pain, discomfort and swelling is common after root canal treatment and there is nothing to be alarm about it. However this does not last for longer time. Analgesics and antibiotics should be taken at right time to bypass these problems.
