All about Root canal treatment !!!!!

 CONTENTS :

             What is root canal treatment?

              Treatment procedure 

              Duration

              Side effects 

              Cost of the treatment 

              Post-op guidelines

              Myths about RCT 

    What is Root canal treatment?

                Root canal treatment is performed to save a  severely damaged tooth instead of removing it.       RCT involves the removal of the infected soft center of the tooth (pulp) under local anesthesia. The pulp consists of the blood vessels, nerves, and other connective tissues, after removing the infected pulp from root canals, canals are carefully cleaned and filled with suitable filling material (usually gutta percha ). After that an artificial crown is placed over the tooth to prevent it from breakage.

Treatment procedure :

               RCT includes 3 steps 

    1. Access opening: Removing the decayed tooth part and creating access to the root canals

    2. Biomechanical preparation : Removing infected pulp tissues and cleaning the canals

    3. Obturation: Filling the root canals with gutta-percha points 

Duration :

           Duration depends on the severity of the infection, it might take 2-4 visits and takes 3-5 days time for complete recovery, every appointment will take 15-20 minutes each.

Side effects :

            There may be dull pain after some time 

           The crown may become loose

           Tooth breakage if the crown is not fixed 

Cost of the treatment :

          Cost depends on the area/locality /no of tooth involved / type of crown material used 

          usually, it ranges from Rs.2000-10000

Postoperative care :

          Properly complete the antibiotic course

          Good oral hygiene maintenance

          Proper brushing especially on the treated tooth 

          Do not bite anything harder until the artificial crown is fixed

          There might be mild pain for a few days, if the pain is persistent/swelling immediately seek your dentist's attention 

Myths about RCT :

         MYTH:  RCT is painful  

                      FACT: RCT is performed under local anesthesia so there will be no pain, incase if the infection is severe you may experience a mild pain 

          MYTH:  Causes damage to the adjacent teeth 

                       FACT: No, it doesn't cause damage to any teeth 

RCT is one of the final treatment option for dental decay , we have more preventive measures and treatment options for initial stages of cavities, you can read them here  All you need to know about dental decay