A root canal is a type of endodontic treatment. “Endo” is a Greek word that means inside and “odont” stands for a tooth. The procedure is for treating the inner portions of the tooth. The tooth has enamel and a hard layer by the name dentin. Dentin contains a soft tissue that is called the pulp. The pulp has all the nerves, connective tissues, and nerves, and is also responsible for creating the hard tissues that surround the tooth.The pulp of human tooth stretches in between the root’s tip and tooth’s crown and also connects with the tooth’s tissues that surround the roots. However, once the tooth gets matured, it does not need the pulp as the surrounding tissue provides all the nourishment it needs. When the pulp gets infected or inflamed, and the damage is extensive, the patient has to undergo the root canal treatment. The tooth is cleaned carefully by an experienced dentist, and the bacteria are eliminated. After disinfection, the region is filled and sealed.
A root canal treatment helps repair an infected or decayed tooth. During the root canal treatment process, infected nerve and pulp inside the tooth are removed, and the inside is cleaned and sealed. Undergoing a timely root canal treatment helps save the surrounding tooth tissues from getting infected.
Symptoms that suggest that you need a Root Canal Treatment (RCT)
- Tooth sensitivity, a condition wherein an individual feels aggravated sensitivity while consuming something cold /chilled or feeling pain while eating/chewing, and applying a little pressure.
- Due to this condition, you tend to avoid consuming cold/hot drinks or chewing food items on the side of the affected teeth/tooth.
- A sinus near the gum of the infected tooth often comes and goes, with or without pain.
How to know if you need a root canal?
A root canal treatment is required when the pulp that lies inside the human tooth catches an infection and/or is inflamed. Infection or inflammation can occur due to various reasons and causes. Problems occur when a chip/crack occurs in the tooth region, deep decay occurs and/or when repeated dental procedures have been carried out on tooth. If the condition is left untreated, it can be a cause of pain (of varying intensities), and an abscess may also occur. Tooth pain may often guide a patient to a dentist, who finds the real cause of the problem and decides on the right and best treatment for it, which can be a root canal.
Depending on the severity of the infection, pain during RCT could be mild / moderate or severe (in few cases). However, most of the patients at Shalby Dental Cosmetics & Implantology never complained of pain during Root Canal Treatment, as we blend the latest of the technologies with our decades of expertise. The Root Canal treatment at Shalby is famed as “Painless RCT Therapy” and that too in most of the cases in single sitting.
How does endodontic treatment save the tooth?
The endodontist and dentist will remove infected/inflamed pulp, clean and also shape the insides of the canal. Later, at another visit, a crown is also placed on the tooth, or the dentist may choose some other kind of restoration. The tooth attains full functionality and is also safe within the insides of the mouth. Once the restoration is complete, the new tooth will function like a normal tooth. Most root canal treatments are completed in a maximum of two visits. Patients can later bite, chew, and also smile with ease. The treatment itself is quite effective and is painless, as the patients are administered local anesthetia so that they do not feel any pain during the procedure.
Will I feel pain during or after a root canal?
A range of endodontic procedures is adopted nowadays for relieving the pain that may be caused by a toothache, which may occur due to infection or inflammation. Modern anesthetics and treatment options ensure that the patients remain comfortable during the root canal treatment and procedure. Some patients complain of sensitive teeth for a few days after the treatment. This may occur, especially in cases when infection and pain had occurred. Prescription medications and the OTC (over the counter) medications can be used for overcoming the problem. A tooth may thus feel different, for a few days, once the root canal therapy is over. However, if someone faces intense pain or pressure lasting for more than a day, then such cases should be referred to the endodontist/dentist.
Endodontic procedure: Step by Step:
Endodontic treatment like a root canal may require 1, 2, or even more visits. It involves the following steps:
- An endodontist will examine the tooth and take a radiograph of it by using X-rays. He/she will then administer a local anesthetia to the patient. After the tooth gets numb, the treatment provider will place a “dental dam” on the tooth. It is a small sheet to protect the tooth and to keep it free from saliva. Hence the cleanliness of the tooth is maintained.
- The dentist will make an opening within the crown region of the tooth. Small dental and surgical instruments are used for cleaning the tooth’s root canal and pulp chamber, and the tooth is also shaped for doing the filling.
- Once the tooth’s space is cleaned, a biocompatible material is filled inside the tooth. The material is called gutta-percha and resembles a rubber. Medicinal adhesive cement is also used for complete sealing of the root canal. A temporary filling will close the opening. The filling is removed before the dentist/endodontist restores the tooth.
- At the last visit, the dentist will put on a crown on the tooth or any other so that the tooth can be protected.
How much will the root canal procedure cost?
The cost of the root canal treatment will depend on factors such as the tooth affected and the complexity of the problem. Because molars cannot be treated easily, a treatment involving them will cost more. If you have dental insurance, you may get compensation for the amount you spent on the treatment. In most cases, the restoration of a tooth will cost less as compared to its extraction. A bridge or implant will be needed to restore the chewing function and to avoid the shifting of the adjacent teeth.
Will the tooth need any special care or additional treatment after endodontic treatment?
Some precautions may be required. For instance, you should not bite or chew using your treated tooth that has been restored by the root canal treatment. Until the restoration is not fully complete, there are chances that a fracture may occur. Hence a full restoration is necessary. Apart from it, you only need to practice the guidelines for keeping good oral hygiene. You should brush after every 12 hours, floss, and should also go for regular dental check-ups as well as cleanings. The teeth that undergo a root canal endodontic treatment last for as long as a natural tooth does.
What causes an endodontic tooth to need additional treatment?
Conditions like deep decay, a new trauma, or the cracking or breakage of a filling may result in new infection in the tooth region. Sometimes, curved or narrow canals may also occur, which the dentist may have failed to find during the initial dental procedure of the root canal treatment.
What kind of dentist does a root canal?
Endodontists are the dentists that specialize in doing the root canal treatments. Therefore, an experienced and qualified endodontist can provide you the best root canal treatment. However, other dentists with some good experience can also do the treatment.
When is it too late to get a root canal?
Tooth loss may occur when the infection/inflammation is not treated for too long a time. Sometimes, furcation (bone loss) gets severe, and a root canal cannot be done. In these cases, the extraction of the tooth is needed.
What not to do after a root canal?
The patient should follow all the endodontist’s instructions carefully. They should brush two times every day, avoid all kinds of chewy or hard foods, and should also be especially cautious of the tooth area where the root canal has taken place so that an injury does not occur.
Looking for Root Canal Treatment in Ahmedabad? As one of the best RCT hospitals in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, Shalby Hospital provides RCT Surgery &Root Canal treatment at a cost-effective price.
For more details or inquiry, call Shalby Hospitals, India: 99240 69400, +91 98244 66884
